Fantasy Colbert League: September 7-September 9

Welcome back from the break. I hope you had a nice holiday weekend, if you were fortunate enough to have one. I went down the shore with a friend and it was lovely – I love the sound of waves. There is nothing more relaxing in my mind, except for maybe, you know, laughing at Stephen. This week is special with the tribute to the troops, so look for all the extra laughter.

Anthony Romero is the executive director of the ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU is an organization that defends individual rights and freedoms. After growing up in the Bronx, Romero went on to attend Princeton University and then Stanford Law. He has been on The Colbert Report on numerous occasions, including a visit in 2006, in 2007, and again in 2009. Romero assumed the role of executive director only a few days before September 11th, 2001, and has since been fighting for causes such as opposing parts of Bush’s Terrorist Surveillance Programs and promoting the ACLU’s “Safe and Free” which protects basic human rights regarding the Patriot Act. Anthony has also been a part of the campaigns to fight the patents held by a private company for the human genes connected to breast and ovarian cancer, as well as the lawsuit against the state of Arizona over anti-immigration. Under his direction, the ACLU has seen unmarked growth, leading to him being named one of Time Magazine‘s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in 2005.

Fract: Destined for success: Romero was the first member of his family to graduate high school.

Wednesday, September 8: Joe Biden

Joe Biden is our current Vice President. After moving from Pennsylvania to Delaware, where he attended the University of Delaware, Biden also earned a law degree from Syracuse University. During his time in the Senate, Biden helmed the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years as chairmen. He worked on issues such as criminal justice, which included the Crime Bill of 1994 and the Violence Against Women Act. He also chaired the Foreign Relations Committee, taking leadership on foreign policy in issues such as WMD’s and post-Cold War Europe. He is married to Jill Biden, who holds a Ph.D. in Education and works for support for community colleges. Together they have three children, including Beau, who served in Iraq. As VP, Biden has worked on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Middle Task Class Force, among other projects.

Fract: Youth on his side: Biden was one of the youngest senators elected for his first win. He was only 29.

Raymond Odierno

Any fan of the show will remember Ray’s first appearance on The Colbert Report. Until the beginning of this month, General Odierno was the Commanding General of the United States Forces in Iraq. A four-star Army general, he is known as the architect of the 2007 troop surge. Beginning his military career in 1976, Odierno graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, as well as the Naval War and Army War Colleges. In addition to serving in the Middle East, Odierno has also spent time serving domestically and in Germany. His son, Anthony, served in the military as a lieutenant in the 1st Cavalry Division of the Army. From 2004 through 2006, Odierno was the Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving as the primary military advisor to Condoleezza Rice.

Fract: Honorable mention: Odierno was given the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal in 2009 for his work as the senior military advisor to the Secretary.

Thursday, September 9: Jim Webb

Jim Webb was previously on The Colbert Report in 2008. Webb is the United States senior Senator from Virginia. Serving the Democratic Party, Webb is on the Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Joint Economic Committee. Before his time as a senator, Webb graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps infantry officer. He later served in the Reagan administration as the Assistant Secretary for Defense for Reserve Affairs and later went on to become the Secretary of the Navy, giving him much experience for his service on the senatorial committees. In addition to this work, Webb enjoys writing, having authored numerous novels, including Fields of Fire and A Sense of Honor, among others.

Fract: A man of many trades: Webb also has graduated from Law School – he received his Juris Doctorate from Georgetown in 1975.

Joshua Bleill

Joshua Bleill is a Marine from Indiana who was seriously injured in combat back in 2006. He lost both legs above the knees and has more than thirty pins in his hip, along with a screw that holds his pelvis together. After his injury, he recovered and has since become SCUBA certified through a program called SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba). He got engaged in 2008, and continues to recover. From the time of his accident through 2008, Joshua and his family maintained a blog about his recovery.

Fract: A new way to walk: Bleill’s prosthetics use Bluetooth technology for motoring.

John Legend

John Legend is an “uber-friend-of-the-show.” His first appearance in 2008 marked the beginning of a recurring musical contributor to the show. He also sang the National Anthem during the Philadelphia shows and was a part of the Christmas special. John is a singer-songwriter with a new album called, Wake Up!, for which he collaborated with The Roots. His other albums are Get Lifted, Once Again, and Evolver. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania in English, Legend went on to work for the famous Boston Consulting Group after graduation. Lauryn Hill had him play the piano for a track on her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. He has appeared on other television shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, and supports causes like The Global Fund to Fight AIDS.

Follow John on Twitter here.

Fract: Political music: Legend sang at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Enjoy the show!