I usually cheer for Stephen Colbert’s guests to one-up him as it means a better repartee for the audience to enjoy. But I was very impressed when Stephen essentially shut down Mary Matalin. It’s a thing of beauty.
Republican party spokespeople have long enjoyed a rhetorical advantage on television because they changed their game while their interlocutors didn’t. (Imagine a rugby team playing against a touch football squad.)
Stephen Colbert plays the same game as these propagandists. And he’s better at it. The same can often be said for Jon Stewart.
It’s a great opportunity: send out comedians as your defensive line while attempting to score with reasonable policy. It might just work.