In today's NYT, Stephen Colbert did have this to say about the controversy regarding the cover of The New Yorker:
Mr. Colbert said in a telephone interview that a running joke on his show has been that Mr. Obama is a “secret Muslim”; the New Yorker cover, he said, was consistent with that. “It’s a completely valid satirical point to make — and it’s perfectly valid for Obama not to like it,” he said.He can get away with it, though, because he is essentially playing a "character" on his show ...
The NYT piece also makes the point that Obama's VP pick is likely to take the brunt of the jokes -- since they can't (or won't) touch Obama, directly.
No wonder everyone is telling Obama they don't want to be picked -- there's a good chance that whoever Obama picks will essentially be "Dan Quayled" ...