Let the eagle soar!

Just caught this headline on CNN.com: Can Colbert actually get on the ballot?

(It’s on their “ticker” page which is constantly updating or I’d provide a link.)

The lead paragraph reads:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — He made a splash with a surprise presidential announcement Tuesday, but can Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert actually get on the primary ballots in South Carolina?

And then it goes on into financial stuff and practical issues and ZZZzzzzzzz, but it occurs to me – if Colbert can milk this gag long enough, he just might be able to make an impact on whoever he throws his support to at the last minute, after some elaborately-staged excuse to withdraw.

Plus, can you imagine if he manages to actually get into any of the South Carolina debates? I think Colbert might be able to generate the kind of numbers to make that happen. Besides being likely terrific TV, what would that say about our country’s continuing troubled experiment in democracy? The fact that the basic-cable TV host playing an ironic character is making more sense than anyone else on a presidential debate stage?

The mind reels, but so far I’m enjoying the ride.