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A gleeful sense of self-importance is one of the "Stephen Colbert" character's finest assets. So why wouldn't he try to run for President at some point? Bowing to popular pressure — a Facebook group urging him to run was the fastest-growing in the site's history — Colbert's spent the fall of 2007 campaigning for the Presidency, (but only in his native South Carolina.) The bid produced some of Colbert's finest political satire: mocking corporate contributions, campaign bureacracy and blatant pandering.
The joke campaign caused some anxious hand-wringing amongst political observers — especially when a poll showed Colbert pulling in higher numbers than actual candidate Bill Richardson. But the comedian downplayed fears that he was spoiling the sanctity of the political process, saying "I don't want to be president, I want to run for president. There's a difference." Unfortunately, Colbert couldn't nail the kicker: the South Carolina Democratic party refused to allow him on the ballot, and he was forced to drop out of the race.