The human race has climbed on protest - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I was out of town when Stephen Colbert gave his infamous performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, but the blogosphere persists in debating whether or not his comic evisceration of the Bush Administration – with President Bush sitting a few feet away – was appropriate.

Initial reports discussed the discomfort in the room as Colbert uncorked such bon mots as, “I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.� Or, referring to Mr. Bush’s low poll numbers, “We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in ‘reality.’ And reality has a well-known liberal bias.�

On the other hand, Colbert – who portrays a blustery, right-wing buffoon on his Comedy Central series “The Colbert Report� – has become the new darling of the left, which is delighted that he presented such uncomfortable viewpoints to an Administration that seems to wear blinders to alternative opinions. There’s even a new website, ThankYouStephenColbert.org, where admirers can leave messages to the comedian.

If you’ve actually seen the performance, you’re forgiven for wondering what all the tumult is about. Sure, there was some razor-sharp one-liners, but overall, Colbert wasn’t quite as consistently bracingly witty as he is on his show. And the film placing Colbert in the position of White House Press Secretary was way too long. But if the assembled journalists actually did feel uneasy with what Colbert was saying, as was reported, that only proves that they’re far too comfortably ensconced in the Establishment to do their jobs capably. And if Colbert’s jokes really are considered controversial and/or brave, that speaks more to the chilling pall that has been cast over discourse in this country.

Besides, isn’t deflating pomposity what the Correspondents Dinner is all about? Some questioned the propriety of George Bush’s slide show a couple of years ago making fun of the lack of WMD in Iraq. (Bush’s routine this year, with a lookalike standing alongside him and ostensibly saying what was really on his mind, was amusingly self-deprecating.)

Such is the nature of comedy. As it was pointed out recently on “South Park:� Either everything is a fair target for humor, or nothing is.

It does seem, however, that the artistic community is shedding its timidity and more aggressively questioning our government’s policies. Last year, of course, was George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck.�, a thinly veiled evisceration of the mainstream media’s unwillingness to challenge the current Administration in this “Either you’re with us or you’re with the terrorists� era.

And now, in the past two weeks, two very different protest albums have come out from veteran rockers: Neil Young’s “Living with War� and Bruce Springsteen’s “We Shall Overcome.� (Green Day’s “American Idiot� was the first major release to take on our country’s current anomie, and the Dixie Chicks’ upcoming recording, “Taking the Long Way,� promises to address their past controversy and perhaps advances the debate, but for the most part, few rock acts seem to possess the requisite p-ss and vinegar to make a political statement. Perhaps, in the era of artists branding themselves with clothing lines and perfumes, the protest album is seen as a quaint relic from the past.)

Young’s quickly produced CD is, of course, a pointed, no-holds-barred assault on just about every aspect of the Bush Administration. (Think of it as a very noisy op-ed page.) Before it was even released, it was considered controversial for its number “Let’s Impeach the President,� a laundry-list of a song piling up issues on which Young takes issue with Bush. “What if al-Qaeda blew up the levees?� Young sarcastically snarls. “Would New Orleans have been safer that way?�

Musically, it’s trademark Young – crunching, guitar-heavy rock. The songs could be more tuneful, and the lyrics understandably have a rushed quality to them, but Young’s passion and sense of urgency and seriousness of purpose as he cathartically vents his spleen seem increasingly scarce commodities in pop music.

By contrast, “We Shall Overcome,� Springsteen’s tribute to Pete Seeger is a more nuanced, more melodic recording, making use of accordions, fiddles, upright bass and a horn section (including a tuba) to create a perfect piece of Americana. Rather than directly address today’s issues, Springsteen somehow comforts us by reminding us that protesting injustice has always been a proud American tradition. Take heart, Springsteen suggests to us between the lines; these hardships, too, will pass.