We Can Thank George Bush For This
Iraq is now becoming safe enough for American TV…
Colbert to broadcast 4 shows from Baghdad
NEW YORK – Stephen Colbert will broadcast four shows next week from Baghdad, where he says he’ll be “Bob Hoping” it for the troops.
Colbert arrived at the former Al Faw Palace at Camp Victory on Friday.
For weeks, he’s promoted the trip on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” but because the military urged caution, he has only trumpeted a vague trip to “the Persian Gulf.” The series of shows, each to be taped in front of an audience of about 450 troops, have been dubbed “Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando.”
It’s the first time anyone has broadcast from Iraq for a USO tour. Though Colbert has often infused his mock pundit character into real events — the 2008 election, the 2006 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — his Iraq trip isn’t a parody. Both the character Colbert (silent “t”) and the real Colbert (pronounced “t”), a Catholic family man, are ardent supporters of the troops. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund (a charity that assists injured service members and their families), and he’s a board member of DonorsChoose.org, which is raising money for the education of children of parents in the military.