Stephen Colbert's Super PAC Launches First Campaign Video

Comedian Stephen Colbert is putting his political action committee cash to work with advertisements that mockingly endorse Texas Governor Rick Perry ahead of an Iowa straw poll this week on the other Republican presidential hopefuls.


The tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign is the first that Colbert has launched since the Comedy Central comedian won approval in June from the Federal Election Commission to form his "Super PAC."


In a pair of advertisements unveiled on his Super PAC website this week ahead of the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday, Colbert jokingly urges Iowans to write in the name of Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is not listed on the ballot, but to misspell it as "Parry."


"I called dibs on Rick Parry a long time ago," Colbert said in a comedic statement that lauds the staunchly conservative governor for his "tough talk" and "cowboy boots."


The comedian who masquerades as a conservative commentator on his late-night program "The Colbert Report" but has espoused liberal causes seems to have made a well-timed choice for his satirical endorsement.


On Thursday, a Perry spokesman confirmed he will seek the 2012 Republican nomination. Perry's official announcement is planned for Saturday.


Colbert joked that he wants Iowans to write in "'Parry with an 'A' for America, with an 'A' for Iowa."


It was unclear where the advertisements have appeared aside from Colbert's Super PAC website. But a statement from the organization said that at least one commercial has begun airing "across the greater Des Moines metroplex.


Colbert's launched his salvo in time for this weekend's Ames Straw Poll, a high school-style popularity contest in Iowa where Republican presidential contenders win votes with Christian worship bands, dunk tanks and other odd tactics. Colbert is urging supporters to cast a write-in vote for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has decided to avoid the straw poll all together. The hitch? He wants Iowans to spell it: "Rick Parry."


It's subtle humor, perhaps, but if you don't like the Parry joke, you can enjoy the campaign ad pastiche, which shows the Texas straight-talker brandishing a gun and unleashing his signature sneer.
Who will Colbert's PAC endorse if Perry (or Parry) drops out of the race? One thing's for certain: he won't be at a loss for satirical material this campaign season.