Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chairman of the House immigration subcommittee, has called Comedy Central’s Stephen Cobert to testify before the committee on illegal immigration policy. Colbert, who reportedly will testify as his TV persona, a pompous, none-too-conservative talk-show ideologue, has no particular expertise in the topic, other than a gag interview he had with United Farm Workers (UFW) President Arturo Rodriguez on his show.

It doesn’t matter what half-baked, foolish logic led to the idea of Colbert testifying: it is disrespectful to those on both sides of a serious and divisive issue, degrading to the nation and insulting to the public. (I would say that it  debases the House, but that is obviously impossible). My guess is that Democrats think that a comedian mocking conservative positions regarding illegal immigration—not that it makes any sense at all that requiring immigrants to obey immigration laws is regarded as a “conservative” position—will amuse and satisfy their open-borders base. That does not justify turning Congress into a cheap comedy club and a promotional vehicle for Comedy Central.

And they wonder why respect for Congress is at an all-time low! If Colbert is as smart as I thought he was, he won’t risk his own credibility by getting involved with this irresponsible, shameless, silly group of elected buffoons.

[UPDATE: Colbert “testified” (that is, performed), Lofgren sat with an idiotic grin on her face, several members on the Committee asked the comedian questions that indicated that they thought he was serious, and most onlookers were revolted by the spectacle of Congress insulting itself. Astoundingly, many in the media are attacking Colbert, as if a TV satirist has an obligation to keep the Democrats from embarrassing the nation. Lofgren is the one to blame for this tone-deaf effort to ingratiate her party with cynical young voters, at the cost of disillusioning intelligent older voters.]