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better know a district

The folks behind the Post’s “Reliable Source” column point out today that while some politicians have looked really silly during their appearances on The Colbert Report (let’s not forget the unopposed congressman who jokingly admitted to enjoying cocaine), it hasn’t necessarily meant political suicide:

Stephen Colbert, Won-on-Won

Fake newsman Stephen Colbert managed not to ruin the careers of the 28 politicians who sat down for one of his mock-confrontational “Better Know a District” interviews this year. “Every congressman I’ve interviewed was reelected,” Colbert crowed on Election Night. “Didn’t someone say talking to me was a bad idea?” (That would be Nancy Pelosi , who clearly had bigger fish to fry.)

Technically, not “every” congressman was reelected: New York’s Major Owens is retiring and didn’t run; it should also be noted in the interest of “truthiness” that none of Colbert’s subjects was at serious risk of losing a seat. The only big loser on Colbert’s list was Tom DeLay, but we can’t blame his problems on a snarky cable comedian, now can we?

(The Washington Post: “Your Questions About Britney Spears’s Divorce Answered” 11/09/2006)