Colbert Compares Chafee’s Answers to a High School Essay Contestant

COLBERT: “But the guy on stage that I really felt bad for was Rhode Island governor and winner of the “Why I should be in this debate” high school essay contest, Lincoln Chafee. He didn’t get asked too many questions, and when he did, it looked like this.”
[video]
COOPER: “Governor Chafee, you’ve attacked Secretary Clinton for being too close to Wall Street banks. In 1999, you voted for the very bill that made banks bigger.”
CHAFEE: “The Glass-Steagall was my very first vote. I had just arrived. My dad died in office. I was appointed to office.”
COOPER: “Are you saying you didn’t know what you were voting for?”
CHAFEE: “I just arrived in the Senate. I think we get some takeovers, and that was one. It was my very first vote, and it was 95— 92.5—“
COOPER: “With all due respect, what does that say about you that you’re casting a vote for something you weren’t really sure about?”
CHAFEE: “I think you’re being a little rough. I just arrived at the United States Senate.”
[end video]
COLBERT: “C’mon, Anderson Cooper. You’re being a little rough on Linc here. He just arrived in the United States Senate. You know the other senators were giving him swirlies and running him through the spanking machine. He didn’t know what to do. I mean, Jiminy Christmas, stop giving him the business. Why don’t you ask Jim Webb something. He hasn’t talked in, like, ten minutes!””