“Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau name-checked the Congressional Research Service, a government institution (barely) known for its sobering academic analyses, in the parting shot of his post-election coverage.

The award-winning artist stuck it to Republicans throughout the holiday week, showcasing a “math and science victory lap” celebrated by  those whom, presumably, did not support GOP pick Mitt Romney’s campaign.

Having feted climatologists, government statisticians, pollsters and scientists, Trudeau closed out the series on Saturday by trumpeting CRS and a recent report that doused tax cuts as a fiscal panacea myth that congressional Republicans fought back against.

“Look at the love this reality-crazed crowd is giving the CRS staffers, Chris,” an unseen commentator quips as the mythical CRS float travels the hypothetical parade route.

Trudeau assured HOH this was, in fact, the first time he’d mined congressional researchers for comedy.

“Generally, readers don’t really notice if I’m down in the weeds as long as the point I’m trying to make is clear. However, in this case, referencing a relatively unknown government agency was just part of the fun,” he said. “The CRS study deserved more attention than it got because it discredits the whole rationale for keeping ‘job-creator’ taxes low — no small contribution to the public conversation.”

So, did CRS get the joke?

“A number of people saw it,” a CRS aide told HOH. No word on any howls of laughter reverberating in the halls of the Library of Congress.