Colbert: Ingraham's writing is “banal.” Wash. Post book editor: It's “hilarious” and “entertaining”
Written by Eric Boehlert
Published
Sort of sad when a late-night comic is better dialed into literary criticism than the non-fiction editor at the Washington Post, but such is the state of the Beltway press. And specifically, such is the long-standing tradition of “serious” media players who play mind-numbingly dumb about the unhinged contempt that drives the right wing. (See Time magazine's never-ending valentines to far-right hate mongers.)
And in today's case, that stewing hatred takes the form of contagious Obama Derangement Syndrome, in which those infected cannot even look at pictures of Obama or his family without lashing out with mindless, mean-spirited personal attacks. (i.e. America under Obama is like the damn Planet of the Apes!)
Fox Newsie and professional name-caller Laura Ingraham is currently out peddling her latest contribution to ODS, a dopey faux Obama diary, in which Ingraham types up poorly written fictitious diary entries from Obama, Joe Biden and even members of Obama's family, who come under hateful attack from Ingraham. In other words, Ingraham writes a whole book in which she makes Obama and anyone who knows him look like an ass by publishing made-up diary entries. (I know, very College Republican stuff, right?)
And guess what, one WP book editor loves it. I kid you not. The WP book editor especially loved it when juvenile Ingraham makes fun of Michelle Obama's weight gain, via a fake diary entry from the first lady's mother.
I repeat: A WP book editor loved Ingraham's “satirical” effort. It was “at times brilliant.”
Me? I'll take Stephen Colbert's evisceration of Ingraham's dopey book. I especially liked it when Colbert told Ingraham to her face that the diary entries she had penned were “terrible” and “banal.” (The author's expression was priceless):
The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
Laura Ingraham | ||||
www.colbertnation.com | ||||
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Like I said: Kind of sad when a comedian will tell the truth about Ingraham and the uncontrollable ODS that consumes the right, but editors at the WashPost won't.