Colbert, Stewart Roast George W. Bush Over Motivational Speech

George W. Bush, motivational speeches, and $19-an-office admission fees all add up to an irresistible cocktail of political snark. It’s no great surprise that Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart each took a sip of it, ribbing the former president over his participation in the Get Motivated! motivational speaking tour, which has been his first significant public appearance since he left office.

Colbert’s take was in his trademark overenthusiastic, rah-rah manner: “The world is my oyster, the clouds are parting, and for the very first time, I think I might be confident enough to shower at the gym. And folks, it is all thanks to yesterday’s ‘Get Motivated!’ seminar in Ft. Worth, Texas with keynote speaker George W. Bush!”

Stewart was more on the nose: “Basically, the president broke his silence to speak at the live equivalent of one of those creepy low-budget infomercials for exercise equipment — exercise equipment you’re never going to use.”

You’ve got to wonder, though: were Colbert and Stewart as enthusiastic as they were in attacking the subject out of nostalgia for the Bush era, when they were both seen as a lot more relevant than they generally are today? After an intentionally wince-inducing hip-hop George Bush impression (at the 1:00 mark in the video below), Stewart even mock-admitted: “I seem to have lost my Bush impression over the months.”