« It Doesn't Sound Like Samhain | Main | Just Can't Get Enough »

October 18, 2004

Deception Lane

Posted by nerdling | October 18, 2004 12:37 PM

I rarely, if ever, think this—let alone say it—but I wish I had cable just so I could have seen Jon Stewart on "Crossfire." While yes, I understand that Jon is a comedian, he's one of the few people on television who doesn't have his head shoved so far up his ass that he can't see what's going on.

STEWART: It's not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it.

CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you're accusing us of partisan hackery?

STEWART: Absolutely.

CARLSON: You've got to be kidding me. He comes on and you...

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.

(LAUGHTER)

STEWART: What is wrong with you?

(APPLAUSE) CARLSON: Well, I'm just saying, there's no reason for you -- when you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy's butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It's embarrassing.

STEWART: I was absolutely his butt boy. I was so far -- you would not believe what he ate two weeks ago.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one.

The thing that I want to say is, when you have people on for just knee-jerk, reactionary talk...

CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.

STEWART: No. No. I'm not going to be your monkey.

Read the entire transcript to see just how much emotional rhetoric these guys came up with to try and shut Jon up. You know they're professional journalists when you can see them sweating and begging their guest to be funny.

But the real highlight of the show? Jon insulting Tucker Carlson's bowtie and informing him "You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."

Rawr! Get 'em, tiger!