THE RUMBLE 2012

This spirited political debate last night between comedian Jon Stewart and FOX pundit Bill O'Reilly descended into silliness at times but proved more substantial than the last official debate. Stewart won--and I say that not just because he's on my side (I'll admit Romney won the last one) but because Stewart had the facts at hand, while Bill O'Reilly constantly fudged the numbers, resorted to tired conservative talking points and even confused Egypt with Syria. Humor was key, of course, but while Bill used it to mask his confusion, Stewart gleefully zen-jabbed holes in this stuffed shirt blowhard's "philosophy," attacking the FOX pundit's basically selfish, outdated conservative views on health care, foreign policy, and "toughness." At one point, when O'Reilly said his ideal president would be Clint Eastwood, Stewart said "Why don't we ask him" and addressed his empty chair. Not exactly comedy gold, but this late in the political season, after a war of attrition and rehearsed "zingers," it was nice to laugh. In case you missed it, or were frustrated by crashed servers that blocked the broadcast, here's the debate in its entirety.