Comedian Stephen Colbert's White House bid seemed to end even before it began.
Last week, the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council rejected Colbert's application to be on the primary ballot in a 13-3 vote; Colbert did not apply to appear on the state GOP primary ballot — with its $35,000 filing fee.
In a statement today, Colbert said, "Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history — only 10 votes — I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle. It is time for the nation to heal."
Here's the disquieting thing about his "campaign":
Colbert's coverage of his campaign was sponsored by Doritos.
One could read arguments, by those on the conservative side of the spectrum, that Colbert was simply trying to point out the absurdities of U.S. political campaign finance laws. Others might see Colbert's actions as trying to help Doritos move some product. Which, if true, would be cheesy.