Jon Stewart: Secret Neocon?

You may recall that one of the biggest concerns in the comedy world was that the election of Barack Obama would be the end of political humor, particularly where Jon Stewart was concerned. After years of being the unrelenting, sorely needed, voice of what many considered to be their only ‘true’ news source (that’s a whole other conversation) during the Bush years, a whole lot of people wondered how Stewart would find a way to bring his biting humor to Obama who seemed — a year ago anyway! — to be untouchable. Regular viewers of the show will know it hasn’t been all that much of a problem, particularly these last nine months (the ‘Beer Summit’ was pretty much tailor made for late night).

However, Stewart has been taking such sharp aim at the President of late (or is it that Obama is just provided a bigger target?) that some people are speculating he may be…wait for it…a secret neocon! (I have no doubt that was a Onion headline at some point in the last decade). From Howie Kurtz today:

Bill Kristol, the Weekly Standard editor and an occasional guest, sees a glimmer of hope. “Jon has always been a crypto-neocon,” he e-mails. “Could he be coming out of the closet? . . . A neoconservative is a liberal mugged by reality.”

Oh lordy. Actually, I have no doubt Bill Kristol has created some happy fantasy wherein Jon Stewart sees the light and comes out as a Palin 2012 supporter. But back in the land of reality it would seem that what the Right is actually reacting to is the novelty of a wildly popular (liberal media elite) comic who is able to take equally sharp non-partisan aim! In Stewart’s world everyone is a target. That said, the neo-con line certainly makes for a good hed. In the meantime, in what has to be one of the funniest segments he’s done in a long time, here is Stewart just skewering Keith Olbermann.