Bring It On, FunnyMan

The Lord of Truth points out the battle between Comedy Central's finest and CNN's big guns...

Habitual funnyman Jon Stewart dropped his comic demeanor and adopted a serious 'tude on last Friday's edition of Crossfire.

While Stewart's appearance on the show was ostensibly to promote his new bestselling book, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, he instead incited a media brawl with the hosts of the CNN debatefest.

The host of Comedy Central's Daily Show accused the Crossfire helmers of "partisan hackery" and suggested that conservative gabber Tucker Carlson needed to matriculate at a journalism school.

Stewart also poked fun at Carlson's signature bow tie and in a particularly heated moment, referred to Carlson as a "dick."

Both Carlson and cohost Paul Begala seemed taken aback by the unsmiling Stewart, who asked them repeatedly to "stop hurting America." Carlson pleaded with Stewart to "be funny," but Stewart replied, "No. I'm not going to be your monkey."

Carlson told Stewart that he was much more fun on his own show, to which Stewart answered, "I think you're as much of a dick on your show as on any other."

I'd actually watched the clip, and agree with Carlson (and Begala, who didn't jump into the fire as quickly, but did a pretty good job of pointing out Stewart's inconsistencies). In fact, it ticked me off.

Let me be clear on something -- I enjoy The Daily Show, and I think Crossfire is generally pretty bad. Unlike Hannity & Colmes (the Fox counter to Crossfire), the hosts are too in love with being in front of a live audience. Plus, Hannity and Colmes are pros who built radio audiences on their own and had to entertain listeners to stay on the air. This is not true of the Crossfire hosts -- Begala and Carville are merely political hacks, while Carlson and Novak were and are journalists.

But Stewart was being a complete prick. That's not always wrong, but it is when you decide to be a sanctimonious jerk at the same time. Seriously, trying to lecture Begala and Carlson on journalistic ethics was laughable in the current context, when so-called "real" journalists spend a week peddling and then defending a fake story about the President on the news. And falling back on the fact that his show is just a comedy show doesn't wash when he complains that these guys are "hurting America" and that they have some sort of public responsibility. That's a load of crap -- they're all there for ratings, the same as Stewart.

No one tunes into Crossfire expecting some sort of dignified debate on policy issues. Hell, no one tunes into any TV station expecting such a debate, because it bores the crap out everyone, including hard-core political junkies like me. Instead, we get two sides attacking and arguing and shouting at one another. Stewart can complain that this somehow lowers the level of discourse in America, but he stars on a show on a network which airs shows that do the same thing (and I love many of those shows). If he thinks CNN should air something more dignified, go complain to the network bosses. Don't try to blame Carlson and Begala.

And I really hate the condescending paternalistic attitude from someone like Stewart, who may be reading too many of his own press clippings. You host a great comedy show, and you're damn funny. That doesn't make you a freaking svengali expert on public policy, and it sure as hell doesn't make you someone who speaks" on behalf of the people." You don't even speak for all of your viewers -- I'm one of them, and I think you're being a pompous ass.

Carlson was right -- you spent an entire interview with Kerry playing tonsil hockey with Kerry's genitals. Do I care? No. But don't sit there and attack them for not trying to hold politicians to a higher standard. Yeah, your show is a comedy show, but Kerry was about as funny as Margeret Cho. You could have asked real questions, and opted not to do so. Same with Crossfire when other politicians show up.

I'll still watch The Daily Show. But if Stewart keeps putting on airs, I may start wishing for the return of Kilborn.