Nation, difficult times are upon us. OK, maybe not. But a new candidate will certainly make the presidential race a little more interesting.

On Oct. 16, Stephen Colbert appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” After entering the set on a bicycle pulled by Uncle Sam, Colbert propped his feet up on a bale of hay and cracked open a bottle of beer to better illustrate that he is just an “Average Joe.”

Colbert also surprised everyone, including Stewart, when he handed the host a notecard to read. Stewart asked Colbert if he was planning on running for president. Colbert appeared stunned (remember: he is answering questions Stewart is asking from the card Colbert gave him).

Colbert then announced his decision to officially consider whether or not he would announce that he is running for president.

He informed Stewart that he would prefer to make his decision “on a more prestigious show.” His own.

“After nearly fifteen minutes of soul-searching, I have heard the call,” Colbert announced as red, white and blue balloons cascaded from the ceiling, on his show “The Colbert Report,” the next evening.

Shortly after the patriotic announcement, Colbert welcomed CBS political analyst Jeff Greenfield to the show.

“This is going to be one for the record books,” Greenfield said.

Colbert had previously clarified on “The Daily Show” that he will only run in the South Carolina primary as a “favorite son.”

“Though not my mother’s favorite son,” he said. “She’s too fair-minded to show a preference between the eight of us.” Colbert is actually the youngest of 11 children.

His decision to run as niether a Democrat nor a Republican has met vast criticism.

While it may appear a cop-out, Colbert defends his decision with bravery, pointing out that he could lose twice.

Colbert’s style can’t possibly get any more unorthodox.

Along with his indecision when it comes to parties, Colbert’s party ticket ideas are completely out of the ordinary. His choices consist of Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Russian President Vladimir Putin or Colbert himself.

“Colbert-Colbert: that’s a strong ticket,” he told his audience while displaying a “Colbert-Colbert ’08” bumper sticker.

Whether or not Colbert is serious about following through or leaving this to be the greatest stunt pulled on his own show, is still up for debate.

The only evidence supporting the former comes from a Colbert staff member who reportedly contacted both Democratic and Republican officials in South Carolina shortly before taping the episode of the show.

Democratic Party Executive Director Joe Werner said Colbert’s representative asked about filing dates and requirements for getting his name placed on the ballot.

Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson did not share Werner’s objectivity on the subject.

“My advice is that he could probably have more fun buying a sports car and getting a girlfriend,” he told reporters.

We’ve all thought about someone like Colbert running for president. Someone who is brutally honest about the state of our country and who has more crafty ideas for getting the country back on track.

What would that actually be like?

While the chances of Colbert winning are slim, those of us hard-line conservatives with a sense of humor will continue to dream of the day when someone just as hard-line and humor-driven wins the presidency.

Who’s ready for a real Colbert Nation?

Columnist: Jennifer Hempel - 10/31/07