Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are both smart men, who are very good at what they do. And the article was right, the fact that the media basically blacked out Colbert's monologue means he really must have hit a raw nerve dead on.
Yes, the both of them are definitely very intelligent. Just because they make fun of the government doesn't mean they don't know their stuff. I think the administration didn't expect him to be so direct and capable in delivering a speech with such impact. I wonder why he was invited in the first place since he isn't technically a White House correspondent, or am I getting the point of this dinner all wrong?
They invite "entertainment" each year who aren't necessarily WH correspondents. Jon Stewart has done it in the past. Nobody has been as outspoken as Colbert, though. He's not going to be invited back, that's for sure - but I love him for taking full advantage of his opportunity! It's been covered pretty well in the political blogosphere (Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Political Animal), just not the mainstream media.