It's true: Stephen Colbert IS going to war zone, briefed today

You, and others, may have thought he was only joking three weeks ago when the Comedy Central hero hinted on his show that he would soon be going to, and taping, in or near Iraq, but it is definitely happening.

My friend Paul Rieckhoff, the great vets leader, tweeted late today that he had briefed Colbert in advance of the trip.

Colbert had said on the show, "I'm going to the Persian Gulf.  I can't tell you where I'm going, but the fact that I can't tell you where I'm going should tell you where I'm going."

Turns out he will be part of a USO trip and "The Colbert Report" will be, by some accounts, the first such regular program to tape more than one episode -- in fact, a full week's worth.

Other performers on the trip have not been named.

USO has not said when the trip will take place for "security" reasons.
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Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher and his new book is "Why Obama Won."