I was eager to see how Jon Stewart's Daily Show might cover (or ignore) Weinergate, given Stewart's longstanding friendship with (and financial backing of) Anthony Weiner:
Mr. Weiner, a potential candidate for mayor in 2013, is a loud, fast-talking, combative congressman who was the post-college roommate of the comedian Jon Stewart and has a similarly sharp sense of humor.
Stewart denies the claim that he and Weiner were ever roommates, but based on his own account, it's clear they have been close for years. Considering that personal connection, I give Stewart strong marks for (a) covering a subject about which he's perceptibly conflicted, and (b) being totally transparent about why he's conflicted. The result is a relatively funny segment -- although one can't help but suspect some punches were pulled:
Stewart obviously wants to be believe the allegations against his friend are untrue, but performances like this probably make it tough to abide that delusion. In fact, if the Daily Show is worth its comedic salt, they'll double down on Weinergate tonight. If they can't parlay the Congressman's eight minutes of awful into a laugh-out-loud thrashing, shame on them.
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