Colbert: What If He's Not Kidding?

Here's a fascinating comment from an NYT blog:

I am unclear as to the relationship and the basis of orientation between TDS and the Colbert Report. Is the Colbert Report completely a satire, or does it accurately reflect Mr. Colbert’s political views, as distinct from his at times insufferable comedic shtick?

Link. Translated: evidently the writer likes Cobert only when he (thinks he is) being serious. The comedy part, it seems, is an annoyance.

I will confess that I never thought of this before. But what if it turns out to be the view of a substantial portion of his audience? Or maybe I am, again as so often, the last to get the memo?