Sans liberté de blâmer, il n’est point d’éloge flatteur.

Hier soir, tard, en musardant sur le blog du marrakchi, j’ai découvert qui était Stephen Colbert, et surtout ce qu’il avait fait.

J’avais bien remarqué ce nom au sommet des recherches sur Technorati, mais je n’avais pas cherché à en savoir plus.

C’est un humoriste qui a allumé G.W. Bush en sa présence et en direct à la TV, lors du banquet annuel des représentants de la Presse de la Maison Blanche.

Il ne l’a pas allumé pour de rire, pour faire semblant de. C’était un véritable pilonnage en règle.

Je n’ai pas tout compris à cause de mon anglais défaillant, et de ma connaissance de la politique intérieure américaine.

Il a aussi allumé les correspondants de presse, accusés d’utiliser plus leur correcteur d’orthographe que leur sens critique lorsqu’ils font leur travail à la Maison Blanche. Il a bien sûr allumé Fox News, média inféodé au pouvoir, par excellence.

L’autre versant intéressant de cette histoire est que la quasi intégralité des médias américains ont omis de parler de ce brûlot le lendemain. C’est la lame de fond sur internet, et notamment les blogs, qui ont « obligé » les médias traditionnels à traiter ce sujet, et à prendre partie quelques jours après. Les articles sont élogieux ou critiques, mais ils existent, et c’est le principal.

Dans cette histoire, deux points sont marquants à mon avis.

Primo que la démocratie américaine est assez vivace pour permettre une telle moquerie face à face et en direct. On pourra épiloguer sans fin sur le nécessaire respect minimum que l’on doit avoir pour la fonction, mais de Gaulle était régulièrement la cible du Canard en son temps, et il n’est jamais tombé aussi bas que nos politiques actuels. Le respect émane plus à mon avis de l’homme, que de la fonction. L’homme sacralise la fonction, et pas l’inverse.

Secundo, les médias traditionnels se font de plus en plus déborder sur leur aile de la vérité et du parler vrai par les blogs et l’internet.

Un véritable contre-pouvoir, auquel je ne croyais pas au début, se met en place doucement mais sûrement.

Quelques phrases bien senties de S. Colbert, attention, ça décoiffe !

"Mark Smith, ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Madame First Lady, Mr. President, my name is Stephen Colbert, and tonight it is my privilege to celebrate this president, ‘cause we're not so different, he and I. We both get it. Guys like us, we're not some brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut. Right, sir?"

...

"Every night on my show, The Colbert Report, I speak straight from the gut, okay? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the "No Fact Zone." FOX News, I hold a copyright on that term."

...

"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."

...

"And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior."

...

"Most of all, I believe in this president. Now, I know there are some polls out there saying that this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias. So, Mr. President, please, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash."

...

"Now, there may be an energy crisis. Well, this president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008, we will have a mesquite-powered car."

...

"The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will."

...

"And as excited as I am to be here with the President, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of FOX News. FOX News gives you both sides of every story: the President's side, and the Vice President's side."

...

"But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The President makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know, fiction!"

...

"Because, really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So, the White House has personnel changes. And then you write, "Oh, they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring! If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!"

...

"Jesse Jackson is here, the Reverend. Haven't heard from the Reverend in just a little while. I had him on the show. It was a very interesting interview, very challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants at the pace that he wants. It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is."

Ici, la vidéo.

Ici, la transciption.

Ici, article dans Wikipedia