But there is a fine tradition of that running back at least as far as Will Rogers.

I'd say Mark Twain. More of a comedic writer, but he made fairly non-stop speaking appearences, didn't he?

We are Twains that met, Frank!

So East is West and West is East?

Signs Of Panic: CNBC Talking Heads Multiplying Beyond Reason

You could also argue about how Ben Franklin would fit in that tradition, though he kind of blurs the distinction between the two.

Heck, it goes back to court jesters, the fool who could tell the King to his face that he was a jerk.

Choice Blackadder bile as assembled by the Guardian UK:

Baldrick, you wouldn't see a subtle plan if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord, singing, 'Subtle plans are here again!'
Blackadder

The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed, hasn't he, Percy?
Blackadder to Lord Percy

Blackadder: Tell me, Brother Baldrick, what exactly did God do to the Sodomites?
Baldrick: I dunno, but I can't imagine it was worse than what they used to do to each other.

Prince Regent: Last night, I was having a bit of a snack at the Naughty Hellfire Club, and some fellow said I had the wit and sophistication of a donkey.
Blackadder: Oh, an absurd suggestion, sir.
Prince Regent: You're right. It is absurd.
Blackadder: Unless, of course, it was a particularly stupid donkey.

Blackadder: What are you wearing around your neck?
Percy: Ah! It's my new ruff!
Blackadder: You look like a bird who's swallowed a plate.
Percy: It's the latest fashion, actually, and as a matter of fact it makes me look rather sexy!
Blackadder: To another plate-swallowing bird perhaps. If it was blind and hadn't had it in months.

That's not the only thing round here that's very small indeed. Your brain, for example, is so minute Baldrick that if a hungry cannibal cracked your head open there wouldn't be enough inside to cover a small water biscuit.
Blackadder to Baldrick

The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the devil's own satanic herd.
Blackadder

Baldrick: My lord, I've been in your family since 1582.
Blackadder: So has syphilis, now get out.

I'm as poor as a church mouse, that's just had an enormous tax bill on the very day his wife ran off with another mouse, taking all the cheese.
Blackadder

Darling: Come on, I wasn't born yesterday.
Blackadder: More's the pity, we could have started your personality from scratch.

George: Great Scott, sir! You mean the moment's finally arrived for us to give Harry Hun a good old British-style thrashing, six of the best, trousers down?
Blackadder: If you mean, 'Are we all going to get killed?', then yes.

He's mad! Mad I tell you! He's madder than Mad Jack McMad, the winner of last year's Mr Madman Competition!
Blackadder on his Scottish cousin McAdder

We're in the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun.
Blackadder

Your brain would make a grain of sand look large and ungainly and the part of you that can't be mentioned I am reliably informed by women around the court wouldn't be worth mentioning even if it could be.
Blackadder on Percy

I find his films about as funny as getting an arrow through the neck and discovering there's a gas bill tied to it.
Blackadder on Charlie Chaplin

Blackadder: Baldrick, your brain is like the four-headed, man-eating haddock fish beast of Aberdeen.
Baldrick: In what way?
Blackadder: It doesn't exist.

They do say, Mrs M, that verbal insults hurt more than physical pain. They are, of course, wrong, as you will soon discover when I stick this toasting fork into your head.
Blackadder

DUCK!

Steve Chesley (JPL) reports that atmospheric entry will occur on 2008 Oct 07 0246 UTC over northern Sudan.

But relax, cause:

the object will not survive passage through the atmosphere.

A smidgen of good news:

The Dow industrials are up more than 200 points from their low, which was hit at 2:45. We’ll see if that holds, but it is at least a little encouraging.

I just predicted that things will look pretty good at 10:45 tomorrow. If it come true, I will become the new Jim Cramer. Or whoever.