Stephen Colbert targeted President Bush and largely gave the press a pass during his monologue at last night’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

Editor and Publisher is reporting that the president didn’t seem to be laughing at the barbs about low polling numbers, wiretapping, and the president’s role as a “decider”.

Some highlights:

“I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out in plastic for three cents a unit. ”

“And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be it Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe our infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.”

“The greatest thing about this man is he’s steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man’s beliefs never will.”

“And as excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News.
Fox News gives you both sides of every story, the President’s side and the Vice President’s side.

But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they’re superdepressing. And if that’s your goal, well, misery accomplished.”

As one reader over at Crooks and Liars commented, it took “big brass balls” for Colbert to go out and essentially roast the president to his face. Colbert hit him on nearly every issue plaguing the administration, attacked Fox News, and didn’t say a word about the Democrats.

YouTube has the video in three parts.

Editor and Publisher recaps Colbert’s performance.

Dumbosaurus has a transcript.

Download the C-SPAN broadcast on BitTorrent.

Update: Crooks and Liars has Colbert (not in character!) on 60 minutes in an interview with Morley Safer. LINK