Remember how foolish Dan Quayle seemed when he picked a fight with the fictional television character Murphy Brown?
You'd have thought people would have learned from that little episode, but no, how little they learn. Now Fox, MSNBC, and Republican Congressman Steve King are picking a fight with Stephen Colbert for testifying this morning at a hearing on immigration reform...because Colbert delivered his testimony in character.
It's not like they were just a little peeved, either. They were really, really mad. Fox anchor Megyn Kelly said the Democratic chairwoman of the hearing "owed this country an apology" for wasting Congress's time. She even said she was outraged that he'd wasted taxpayer dollars (which, as Colbert pointed out last night, amounts to free water and the electricity it took to run his microphone). Kelly expressed concern that some people appeared to "enjoy" Colbert's testimony and for his part, King complained there was "no rational reason" for Colbert to appear and called it an "insult" that "disparaged" American workers. And on MSNBC's Hardball, NBC White House political reporter Chuck Todd said Colbert's testimony was "offensive" and wondered why members of congress didn't get up and walk out of the room in protest.
Watch Kelly and King from Fox here: