“WOW.”
That was Stephen’s response to Rumsfeld’s answer to a very pointed question.
The host continued to say he would never be so “cynical” to believe that the Bush administration knowingly lied to the American people about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but he wanted his guest to admit that there was no “hard proof” in place to justify war.“There was an unknown known for the American people,” Colbert said. “It was known that there was not hard evidence, but we were presented a partial picture. And that's the unknown known that we were denied. Do you think that was the right thing to do?”As Rumsfeld filibustered, Colbert pressed him, asking, “Were there things that the administration, or you knew that we didn’t learn about out of the best possible intentions, which is there were things that would undermine the case for a war you thought was necessary to save the United States?”
Colbert began the second segment with DR by asking for his thoughts on Trump.
Colbert: Does he strike you as a Commander-in-Chief?
Rumsfeld: I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. What strikes me about him is — I can’t imagine how Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump can pull crowds of 20,000 people to an event to hear them speak. It’s fa— that’s — presidents don’t do that!
Colbert: I think they’re appealing on an emotional level. People are very frustrated with what’s going on in Washington, and whether or not you agree with what either man is saying, they’re saying, “I agree with you. We have to change the status quo.”
He also threw some shade at DR about the rise of ISIS. Video of the segment at the Daily Beast.
I have a special place in my heart for Stephen Colbert. His truth-to-power moment at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2006 stands among the greatest moments in American history, in my humble opinion.