Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Mr. Stewart

I think my favorite thing about the Bush years was watching The Daily Show with John Stewart. Somehow, he seemed to articulate exactly what I and most of my friends were thinking and feeling, but we never actually heard from the press. He had an ability to name exactly what was wrong with the Bush administration and at the same time he held no punches for the Democrats and their inability (or seeming lack of desire) to prevent the wars abroad or the rapid erosion of civil liberties in the US.

So, when Obama took office, I was eager to see what tact Stewart would take with new administration. What hypocrisy would he ferret out? What campaign ideals and promises would he hold the new president to? What lens would Mr. Stewart use to critique the new president of the US? Well, what is the answer? Apparently it's all roses in Daily Show Land.

It seems that Mr. Obama can do almost no wrong. It's as if Mr Stewart (along with the rest of our country) has forgotten that the US still has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even when others criticize Obama for the "bailouts" Stewart is quick to point out that the bailouts were started by the previous administration, which is true... and we criticized Bush at the time. What changed? Where is the critique now? The Daily Show still makes me chuckle from time to time, but it seems like all the jokes are still focused on Fox news pundits. Yawn... that's a fairly low bar if you ask me. Actually, at this point, I tend to find Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck more entertaining... if you put them in the same genre as Steven Colbert. And, to be honest, Fox news has at least some good reporting happening right now (O'Reilly and Beck are neither reporting nor news).

I realize that the Daily Show has never aspired to the intellectual rigor that most good news reporting outfits do should, but at least the show was always thoughtful. Now?... well, somewhat less so. Stewart was recently discussing a new book, "Goddess of the market: Ayn Rand and the American right," with the author, Jennifer Burns. I have no idea what Burns' opinion of Rand actually is, I have yet to read the book. But Mr. Stewart certainly doesn't conceal his true feelings about Rand and free market economics. In my favorite quote of the interview Stewart said, "It's almost as if she would have a totalitarian society of individualists." I will leave you to ponder that and similar horrors such as fascist freedoms, an anarchist police state, and - my personal favorite - a regulated free market.

I never thought I'd say this, but... I miss George W Bush.