After watching Stephen Colbert's interview of Vice-President Joe Biden on CBS' Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Steve M. believes it likely
Biden won't run. Maybe that's a good thing. But I'll be sorry if we never get to see him debate the GOP nominee, who, I'm more and more convinced, will be Trump. Biden can seriously talk policy, but I wonder if the quantity of blarney he tosses into the mix, and especially the quality of sentiment, could be the magic bullet against Trump. Watch the Colbert interview -- when Biden talks about his son, you can hear a pin drop. I don't think Trump's bombast would be a match for that.
A person could not watch the Biden interview and come away without a much greater regard for the late Beau Biden, and a greater regard for his father, Joe. That's the way the brilliant, experienced talk-show host planned it.
Assuming he does not announce for the Democratic presidential nomination, win the nomination, and win the general election, Joe Biden will be an afterthought and Stephen Colbert will still be stealing millions from CBS (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Admittedly, he may take a different tack to other politicians. Colbert may like the former Delaware Senator so much that he intentionally conducted the puff interview to end all puff interviews, attempting to cast the grieving man in the best possible light. Hopefully, Colbert's future interviews with individual any person who might become leader of the Free World will be worthy of the office in which he or she is interested.
In this one, however, Colbert's most piercing remark (at 8:12 of video below) was "I love how you say so many times 'my mom had an expression.'" After Biden obliged with one of those homespun sayings, Colbert continued
And you know, there's one other person who said that and that's Thomas Jefferson and this is why I think people want you to run for President... and sir, I just want to say that I think your experience and your example of suffering and service, um, is something that will be sorely missed in the race. It's not that there aren't good people on both sides running but I think we'd all be very happy if you did run and if you don't, I know that your service to the country is something that we all should salute.
This was an unusual situation, interviewing a public official who has recently lost a son, but the man might become the 45th President of the United States. Joe Biden is entitled to tell his story. But Steven Colbert should not be applauded for passing off the segment as anything other than an effort to promote the vice-president's potential candidacy.
Such fawning might not be unique in late-night talk shows, but it's something unexpected in someone portrayed as so clever and intelligent with a biting wit and willingness to go where no one else goes. Colbert is as clever, and even more intelligent, as claimed. As for the rest, if last night's interview (and the initial show) are any indication, he's going to be just another late-night hack focused on fame and fortune.
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