南方朔5/24在中時的文章說:"「優」和「弄臣」乃是奴隸階級轉化過來的職業角色，他們地位至卑至賤，實為皇室的家奴家僕，專門在主子面前插科打諢，裝瘋賣傻，耍寶鬥趣，替主子解憂。其中最值得注意的乃是「耍寶」這一項了。它指的乃是一個人，把自己搞得好像很賤很爛很白痴很沒尊嚴，從而讓主子覺得自己更高貴更優秀更智慧更英明蓋世；透過這樣的對比，主子始能龍心大悅，時時刻刻都活在有信心；覺得天下只有他配享用的快樂中。
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漢朝的東方朔(南方朔這個筆名就是來自於此吧!)列在史記的滑稽列傳中,司馬遷在序中說:"孔子曰：「六藝於治一也！《禮》以節人，《樂》以發和，《書》以道事，《詩》以達意，《易》以神化，《春秋》以道義。」太史公曰：「天道恢恢，豈不大哉！談言微中，亦可以解紛。」"他在滑稽列傳中所舉的人物,都是以幽默的方式,達到直接諷諫所不能達到的效果.

四月底美國白宮記者聯誼會舉行年度晚宴,布希總統和模仿他的人同台演了一齣戲,接著著名談話節目主持人Stephen Colbert也演了一段,Colbert脫口秀部分精采內容如下,(我是看老摇博客找到的,並此提請過往看客注意;做了點訂正)Colbert消遣布希有些部分真的蠻毒的,聽說布希當時很不快,對Colbert事件的報導還引起美國博客上很多爭論,有些自由派博客認為媒體為了討好布希,故意忽視Colbert的表演(英文維基有專文,見http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert_at_the_2006_White_House_Correspondents%27_Association_Dinner) C-Span出了DVD,並且要求YouTube把這段錄影從它的網站撤下,但是wiki的專文還列了好幾個網上播映的網址

我覺得布希和模仿他的人的表演真的也很有意思,布希完全就演嘲笑他的人的那個樣子,說出他對記者的心底話.其中一個是演他的人說了三次"nuclear proliferation"(核子擴散),布希自己說成"nuclear proliberation",演他的人維妙維肖到這種程度,不禁讓人想到是否布希碰到他不想出席的場合就派模仿他的人去(參考電影Dave),總統和弄臣其實沒什麼差別

(可見http://www.break.com/index/bushimposter52.html,還可下載)

回到南方朔的文章,人非聖賢,孰能無過,美國以前副總統奎爾教壞小孩子,小孩子在教室裡拼potato,他卻說後面要加個e(複數是potatoes),也沒聽到教育部長要出來幫他圓;這樣的教育部長真的不及東方朔.

"Before I begin, I’ve been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked fourteen black bulletproof SUVs out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in fourteen other black bulletproof SUVs and they need to get out."
"To just sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I’m dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what, I’m a pretty sound sleeper, that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face. Is he really not here tonight? The one guy who could have helped."（副總統錢尼不在場）
"By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything at their tables, speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers and somebody from the NSA will be right over with a cocktail."
"Every night on my show, the Colbert report, I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the no fact zone. Fox News, I own the copyright on that term."
"I believe in democracy. 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."（提到中共駐美大使周文重）
"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."（我相信治理最少的政府是最好的政府。照這樣的標準，我們在伊拉克建立的政府太棒了）
"I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps（意為「白手起家」）. I believe it is possible - I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical."
"Now, I know there’s some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. 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.（現實偏袒自由派）"
"Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it’s two-thirds empty. There’s still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn’t drink it. The last third is usually backwash."
"So don’t pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he’s not doing? Think about it. I haven’t."
"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."
"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."
"Over the last five years you people were so good over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn’t want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times... as far as we knew."
"Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know, fiction."
"I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write they’re just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking; this administration is soaring! If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg（興登堡飛船1937年失事，36人罹難，這比起鐵達尼號首航就沉沒要好太多了）."
"General Mowsly, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace, Joint Chiefs of Staff. They still support Rumsfeld. You guys aren’t retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld. Look, by the way, I’ve got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble - don’t let them retire. C’mon, we’ve got a stop loss program, let’s use it on these guys….If you’re strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you're strong enough to stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle."
"Jesse Jackson is here…. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he’s going to say what he wants, at the pace that he wants. It’s like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is."
"Joe Wilson is here, the most famous husband since Desi Arnez. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said. I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife, Joe Wilson’s wife."（Arnez是「我愛露西」中露西現實與劇中的先生；Wilson為美國外交官，在他著文批評布希國情演說中海珊向非洲購買鈾的消息不實後，其妻Valerie Plame被專欄作家Novak捅出是中情局幹員）