by John Devera

Created on: November 16, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Humor has been a tool of politics since "Nero wears a dress," was graffitied on some Roman wall. During the civil war Lincoln was depicted in cartoons. Mark Twain used humor to show the follies of politicians. So what's different now?

Well, first of all, the mainstream media is dominated by voices from the left. That means that Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Leno and Letterman and O'Brien will take great joy in bashing the current President. But let's not get our collective panties in a bunch. When Clinton was president, these same funny-guys were taking shots at him. If you don't like the disrespectful tone of Saturday Night Live's abuse of President Bush, then I am sure you were just as upset about the hilarious mockery they made of President William Jefferson Clinton.

Then there's the problem with the other team's comedians. The right has a few comedians. But they are few, and they aren't always that funny. Dennis Miller was a lot funnier before his stint as a sports announcer. Now that he's a born-again Conservative, he's just not funny. Rush Lembaugh is an exceptionally intelligent and wonderful entertainer. But, although I find him very funny, he rarely makes me laugh as easily as Jon Stewart, or especially Stephen Colbert. I actually think that Glen Beck is funnier than Lembaugh, but that's parsing angels on the head of a pin.

The humor machine hasn't really picked a target for its humor in the presidential elections. Once we know for certain who will run against who, I imagine the comedians will start laying down their mortar fire of water balloons and cream pies. And it should. As Americans, we need our comedians to irreverently poke holes into the stuffy effigies that are placed before us. One comedian I've heard lately has taken to calling Ms. Clinton "The Hildabeast." I think that's funny in a sophomoric way, but it does capture that basic cold harshness to her personality. Rudy Guiliani has taken to setting himself up on tv for humor, sort of sucking the wind out of the comedians by showing he's a good sport. I can't see Hillary being a good sport about people making fun of her. I feel the same way about Ron Paul, Barak Obama, Huckabee, and McCain. I am looking forward to seeing if they have the guts to stand up to people laughing at their mistakes.

On the other hand, there are some people who are born funny, and they take to the humor very well. President Bush, the younger, has always been affable and has been ready to accept the humor with a self-effacing charm. I think Mitt Romney, Rudy Guiliani, John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich fit in that category.

I think there is a respect paid to the office of President that should not cover the individual who holds the office so infallible or holy that he is immune to a joke. One should never disrespect the office. But the human, should always be open to criticism, especially in the manner of political humor. If the emperor has no clothes, it is appropriate to laugh.

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