Last night I experienced an extraordinary night of comedy. I went to Radio City Music Hall for Conan O’Brien’s triumphant return to New York City, performing live on “The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour“. It wasn’t his first stop on the tour, but I knew that this one would be special, seeing how he would be performing not more than a few 100 feet from his old ‘Late Night’ studio (and studio bosses). After the very public and acrimonious break up between him and NBC, this was going to be amazing.

And it was. The warm up act, Reggie Watts, was really funny, kicking things off with the right amount of wackiness. I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Then Conan’s old band (minus Max Weinberg) came out to pump up the crowd. And finally, the pale-faced one came out, wearing his new beard (which was prominently featured in a little movie used in the opening act) and brandishing his trademark self-effacing humor.

But he didn’t hold back in any way, firing salvos at everyone, from Leno to Kim Kardashian and the Jersey Shore craze (”they have shows and I don’t???”). Of course, the choicest shots were reserved for NBC execs. There were a lot of musical numbers, where Conan sang popular songs that were suitably modified for the jokes (”On the Road Again” quickly turned into “Take me Off the Road Again”). Overall the show was like an extended ‘Late Night’ monologue, with assistance from his usual sidekicks – Andy Richter, La Bamba and others.

But all that would have only made for a pretty good night of comedy. What really pushed the show over the top was when Stephen Colbert stepped onto stage to challenge Conan to a dance-off for the title of “King of New York”. They kissed (!!!), they danced, it was amazing. And then Colbert pulled a hamstring, and was almost forced to default, when…well, see the video below.

Yes, that’s Jon Stewart coming to the rescue of Colbert. When he walked down the aisle to the stage, the crowd went absolutely bonkers. It was absolutely the best, most un-rehearsed, completely hilarious thing I have seen since, well, since the famous Stewart-Colbert-Conan crossover episodes during the writers strike.

After that, Conan pulled out an old favorite – the Walker, Texas Ranger Lever – with help from special guests Bill Hader, John Krazinski and Paul Rudd. He also introduced the replacement for a recurring character that cannot be mentioned on a family-friendly blog like this one. And Triumph the Insult Comic Dog brought down the house in his own inimitable style.

It was an amazing evening of comedy, and Conan got a well deserved standing ovation from a loving New York crowd. I don’t think any show on this tour will ever be able to top this one, not just because of the guests but because of the unique context of the show. In any case, I was glad that I was lucky enough to be there to experience Conan (and the next chapter of the greatest crossover ever) in full glory.

If one thing has become clear over the last week or so since McCain announced that Sarah Palin is his running mate, it is this: the Democrats have NO idea how to deal with the move. Nothing they are throwing at the wall is sticking, and it’s probably because they are going after the wrong things the wrong way.

Palin delivered an impressive, strong speech last night. But leaving aside the parts where she laid out her narrative to the crowd, it was a rhetoric filled tirade that lacked substance and was built on some pretty blatant lies. Nonetheless, she made it pretty clear that she is going to be a formidable part of this presidential race. And McCain has already achieved what he wanted by naming her his running mate – mobilizing a conservative base that to this point was wary of his candidacy.

The Democrats are fumbling badly in trying to counter the McCain campaign’s “surge” (pun completely intended). They have taken to attacking Palin on lack of experience and substance, a slippery slope when you consider that is exactly what Obama gets attacked for. And the first response to her speech is Harry Reids press secretary calling it “shrill”? Are you kidding me? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

What they should do is attack her on what she has done during her executive career, not its length. Talk about how as Mayor, she inherited a town with no debt, and left it in debt to the tune of $20 million. Talk about how she supported the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” and cancelled it only because she wasn’t getting more money for it. Oh, and she never returned the Federal money that Alaska got specifically for that bridge. Talk about the allegations of abuse of her executive power, and the earmarks she supported (contradicting her public statements).

Talk about her positions. Talk about how she believes the war in Iraq is a “task that is from God”. Take her to task for so arrogantly dissing community organizers, some of the most selfless Americans working for the betterment of others, in her speech last night. Talk about her positions on the issues important to those Hillary supporters – healthcare, equal pay for equal work, the right to choose…the list goes on and on.

But most importantly, don’t attack the fact that McCain selected her. Attack how he selected her – with an almost cavalier attitude that completely shirked the idea of a vetting process. As Stephen Colbert would often say of Bush, McCain went with his gut, ignoring the “elite” idea of using his brain. This is the person we want making the most important decisions for this country? Someone who takes important decisions without bothering to collect facts, consult experts or spend time in contemplation? Someone who sizes up a persons political makeup and policy-making capabilities based on a few phone conversations? This is the person we want with his hand on the trigger of our military and nuclear arsenal? The one managing this nations relationship with the world?

I wish the Democrats would hire the writers at The Daily Show to create their campaign ads. In one of the best segments that TDS has ever produced (they have been on an absolute tear during the conventions), Jon Stewart ripped into the hypocrisy of the Republican elite, juxtaposing their completely contradictory, politically convenient statements separated not by decades, or years, but by mere weeks and months. Watch the video below, it is masterful. Karl Rove would be proud (if he weren’t a star in it).

First he came out with his book “I am America (and So Can You)” (I’m still waiting for my copy, amazon.com!). Then he interviewed himself on his show. Appearances on Good Morning America with Diane Sawyer and Larry King Live followed. Over the weekend, he “tricked” New York Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd into daring him to write this brilliant op-ed piece for the hated New York Times.

All of this led up to the big night yesterday. Stephen Colbert first went on The Daily Show, where he officially announced to the world “I have decided to officially consider whether or not I will announce that I am running for President of the United States” (watch the clip here if you missed it). He added that he would make the official announcement at a later time on a more prestigious show.

Not more than 30 minutes later, he announced on his own show that he would be running for President of the United States in South Carolina, as both a Democrat and a Republican (watch a clip of the announcement here).

OK. So this is not going to be a “Man of the Year” scenario. But it will be a lot of fun to see how far Colbert is going to take this. With colbertnation solidly behind him, I think he has a great chance of making as much hay off this as he can (had to get the hay bale reference in somehow).

This is just the kind of thing I needed to get me out of the dumps following the latest Yankees post-season debacle. Thank you, Stephen Colbert! And thank you, America!

What do you think his cabinet would look like (after the obvious appointment of Jon Stewart as Vice-President in charge)?

[tag]Stephen Colbert[/tag] is right: the animals are out to get us.

• Pet camel humps Australian woman to death
• Bears eat man at beer festival