Campaign Journal: Stephen Colbert

In an satiric event only slightly more surreal than the actual campaign developments of recent days, Stephen Colbert urged his fellow South Carolinians to vote for former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain. Mr. Cain who dropped from the race after allegations of serial adultery -- sound familiar? -- urged the crowd of thousands at the College of Charleston not to vote for him, though his name remains on the ballot. But he joined in the high spirits of the rally in which Mr. Colbert praised the fact that the nation's lawmakers and the Supreme Court had, over time, extended civil rights to women, to minorities, and to corporations, though the Citizens United decision that has done so much to influence the free-spending Republican race so far.

As the Comedy Central star took the stage before an antebellum building with tall Ionic columns, under tower live oaks dripping Spanish moss, he gazed over a crowd of thousands, many waving home made signs. Among the political sentiments they proclaimed: "I skipped Work of Steven.''
"Yes We Cain;'' and, "Colbert, I Made This Sign 4 U But My Panties R 4 Anderson.''
Of the justices Citizens United opinion, M.r Colbert said, "With the stroke of a pen these wise men leveled the playing filed ... and sold the naming rights to Bank of America. ... And lo, SuperPACs were born unto us.''

Confronting the scurrilous charge that his own SuperPAC and his presidential candidacy was a joke, he said, if it was, "the they are saying that our entire campaign finance system is a joke ... and I don't know about you, but I am pid to be offended by that.''