... and speaking of bias, rabid bias - when is someone going to take John Stewart and Colbert to task for their blatant cheer leading of Obama? It's almost embarrassing, and certainly unwatchable, their fawning over the guy. When is someone going to point out that engaging in such unbridled boosterism removes their shows from the realm of sometimes trenchant satire and sets them firmly down in the dirty domain of biased news chatter - in short, makes them somewhat more entertaining but no less culpable than Fox News? I mean, what are they planning to do if Obama actually wins? Worshiping at the feet of your master doesn't make for the funny - witty barbs don't exactly pour from the lips when they're occupied kissing ass. Please, someone slam these guys for this crap - it's pissing me off! Satire cannot be biased, its venom has to be poison to all: it gives up it's validity and then eventually it's effectiveness, its humour, if it considers certain topics and ideas and people to be out of bounds, untouchable, or if its seen to be promoting a special interest - then it becomes just propaganda with jokes.
Of course a perfectly unbiased view point does not exist - everything is compromised - but that doesn't mean there isn't a great difference between naked boosterism and flawed attempts at objectivity. Perhaps the more relevant aspect of this is: how much longer can the Daily Show and Colbert advocate for certain causes while excusing themselves from charges of bias by claiming they're not legitimate news sources? I think by taking up Obama's cause so thoroughly they've crossed a line and it is now incumbent upon them to attempt to behave like the legitimate press - either that or be lumped in with the charlatans they've so ruthlessly pilloried. In other words, no cake and eating it too: they wanna be taken seriously when, albeit with humour, they advocate for Obama or attempt to defend their boy viz the Wright scandal but they can't be taken seriously if their reporting isn't seen to be objective. Like I said, they've crossed a line - if they're lucky Obama will lose and they'll be saved from themselves.
