Stephen Colbert: Mubarak Our Friend 'Because We Pay Him To Like Us' (VIDEO)

Stephen Colbert has elevated the devil's-advocate defense of the indefensible into an art form, and that skill was in full force during last night's episode when he tackled the subject of Hosni Mubarak's presidency. But more than simply picking the wrong side for comedic affect, Colbert's pleas on behalf of Mubarak outlined the actual ambivalence of the U.S.'s relationship with the dictator:

Mubarak is our friend. And we know Mubarak is our friend because we pay him to like us. Specifically, we pay him $1.3 billion a year.

The rest of the clip takes clever shots at Mubarak's age, the outrageous number of years he's been in office, as well as his diplomatic relationships with most of the last century's American presidents.

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