Law Humor

There is no shortage of news items on Stephen Colbert's testimony before Congress, and as many of these stories note, some Democrats also did not think that having a comedian testify was such a great idea. (And some Democrats are also not funny, although it seems unlikely anybody there from either party could have been less funny than Rep. King.)

I thought this item by Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post was especially instructive. She is a Colbert fan but did not think he should have testified. She does remind us, however, that he is by no means the first celebrity to have been called before a subcommittee for this sort of thing. Specifically, the Republicans who complained so bitterly about Colbert are forgetting that when they controlled the House in 2002, they heard testimony from a muppet.

At least somebody loves Congress.

In April of that year, Elmo testified before the Education Appropriations subcommittee in support of funding for music education programs. Everyone in that picture seems to be having fun, but there is always a curmudgeon around. In this book excerpt, Gene Healy noted that Elmo was testifying on a date about midway between September 11 and the vote on the Iraq War, and Healy found the whole spectacle deeply embarrassing:

In between trying to eat the microphone and interrupting his fellow witness, Elmo engaged in this informative colloquy with subcommitee chair Ralph Regula (R-OH):

Elmo: Please, Congress, help Elmo's friends find the music in them. I love you, Congress.

Regula: And my grandchildren love you too, Elmo. [Oh, come on - Congress can't tell Elmo it loves him?]

Healy described Congress as the new "least dangerous branch" of government, and that might be true, but that's not Elmo's fault.

I would like to ask that the next Supreme Court nominee pledge to try to eat the microphone, just so we have some reason to watch those useless confirmation hearings.