Jon Stewart vs. Colin Powell

[Don1]

Powell was on The Daily Show. Stewart seemed to be soft on him. Some say he was being diplomatic. Okay, let's accept that one for now. I saw him agree with Powell on several fronts. I would like to get others' impressions of the show.

So, if you watched the interview with Powell, did Stewart agree with Powell on any of Powell's bs excuses?

[otohara]

1. I'd Like To Know How Many Times Stewart Said "Right"

right, right, right, right, right - what was up with that/

[kodi]

2. stewart is a comedian, not noam chomsky. powell ate his lunch

and that's the way it was.

[HEyHEY]

3. JON STEWART IS NOT A JOURNALIST

Please stop asking him to be.

[Erika]

4. Jon is no different than Savage, Hannity, & the rest

He's an entertainer pleasing his right wing bosses. It's been obvious for months.

[democracyindanger]

5. Thanks for the belly laugh.

[Don1]

13. I haven't been watching too much for the last few months.

But after watching the interview with Zell Miller a month ago and this one, I think you have a point.

I am going to give his show one more chance. If he continues to just not be funny anymore in the intelligent way he used to be, then I'll stop watching.

[In Truth We Trust]

17. agreed, not to say i don't enjoy the show but i do agree with your

observation. Remember how desperate we felt for any media personality to highlight or at least mention election fraWd post Nov. 2. The daily show was awol on that subject as well then.

[bicentennial_baby]

26. Uh yeah...right

Step back from the computer...deep breaths...get in touch with reality...it's nice. :crazy:

[Don1]

6. I recommend to everyone here

to watch this next round NOW and count.

Then, report back here with a count of agreements.

Should be interesting to see.

[tuvor]

7. Stewart should be strung up by his toes and beaten with bats.

What a shitty excuse for a comedian.

[gumby]

8. Powell disgraced himself.

Stewart didn't stand in his way.

What more do expect from a "comedy" show?

Didn't you SEE what happened? Or is your poll about something else?

[Don1]

11. The poll is about...

the different perceptions people have of the same event.

Right now, there seem to be two extremes with a much larger one way.

[Blue Belle]

30. This poll is about...

Your need to crucify Jon Stewart for not delivering the hard hitting news. The absence of a fair and balanced media has - in your mind - shifted to the comedians and the hosts of talk shows. Who can we expect to see a poll on next?? Letterman?? Leno?? Regis and Kelly?? Please...

Could we please make more of a mountain out of this molehill?? :eyes:

[Ronnie]

23. Absolutely.

Powell looked like an idiot. Any respect Stewart and the audience displayed was for what most of us used to think he was. They were respecting a ghost.

[madrchsod]

9. just saw the interview

what the fuck was jon supposed to ask? call powell a fucking coward and a lier? insult powell? just what should he have followed up with? should jon become a complete asshole and start acting like all the media right wing cocksuckers? jesus get a grip..it`s politics and that`s how ya play the game. i thought jon did a decent job of asking questions and letting powell speak and give his side of the story-are we accusing jon of not doing what we on the left adorer about the right?

[In Truth We Trust]

16. He could of asked him if he see's a trip to the Hague in his future or

how the hell does he sleep at night? No he didn't though. What Jon did say however in response to a discussion of the lies and manipulation leading up to an illegal war for which c powell was a key player that it may be just "spilled milk". I don't see that as being funny as some who have defended his kiss ass interview tonight as being from a comedien and not a journalist. Whatever you want to characterize him as he said that tonight. Go back and look at the video later and then tell me he hasn't sold out.

[sendero]

24. That's a good point..

.... I don't know exactly how I would have handled it, I'm not a TV personality.

But I do know this, Powell's "answers" were allowed to stand intact, and I would have found a way, some way, any way, to undermine that - and I was stunned when Jon didn't even try.

Hey, as I've said here, I respect Jon and I don't think he is a "sellout" or stuff like that, to be honest if I had to make a guess, I think Jon was literally "humbled" that Powell would deign to appear on his show.

In any event, I wish Jon would not invite RW guest that he cannot handle to appear on his show. They get enough propaganda exposure on FOX.

[Gloria]

10. Different impression here...

I just watched the video and have a totally different impression from
what many have expressed....

Jon was offering "rebuttals" to Powell in his questioning! He framed all the questions from the "devil's advocate" position, which was a very clever thing to do. He set up all the arguments before hand....then, as Powell spun, his answers were actually in "defensive" mode.

This was a far more effective technique that trying to argue with Powell...he wouldn't have gotten very far and probably would have been "dealt" with.

Jon lives to fight another day, as it stands now. He really did frame all the questions in a way that he got out all the questions, doubts, etc. about Iraq into the open. In that sense, without being confrontational, he did actually challenge Powell.

And he did it so smoothly that Powell jabbered away and didn't even see what Jon was doing....

As for his saying "Right"--the tone of his voice wasn't an "approving" "Right"...he sounded like he was very aware that Powell was spewing bullshit....Following every "right" was another specific, pointed questions framed in an "Aw shucks" tone that relaxed Powell and encouraged the bullshit to spew some more....

[bunny planet]

25. That's my take on it Gloria.

[TBreeze]

28. I agree Gloria n/t

[mod mom]

32. I agree. Jon brought up tough issues with the sellout. What was he

suppose to do call him a liar? That said, I wish Jon would exclude neocon hacks from having a voice on his show. I think Jon thought he could get colin to waiver, but no such luck. The reichwings march in step.

[Don1]

12. Here's My Count.

John eventually agreed with Powell on every point. However, about half the time he tried to fit in a follow-up question. When he was able to squeeze it in, Powell rebutted it and Stewart acquiesced.

There were about 20 to 30 "rights" from Stewart, but that's nothing...it's more just him acknowledging Powell speaking.

There were about 5 major points in the discussion and Stewart eventually agreed to every point.

[gumby]

14. To borrow from "Airplane,"

I speak Freeper. Counting words is a very common Freeper practice.

Lynn Cheney and Media Research Center are FAMOUS for what you just did.

BTW, I just googled Lynn Cheney to check the spelling and her lesbian novel was the first entry ..... hahahaha....

Count THAT!!! dude!!!!

[Don1]

15. Yeah.

Who needs nummers and cowntin.

We should all just watch TV without ever wondering if we are being brainwashed.

[gumby]

18. Are you gonna start nummerin and cowntin the

the "different perceptions people have of the same event" about Darwinism and Creationism?

Maybe you'd like to expound upon the difference between the "two extremes" of Dominionism vs. Constitutional Representative government.

[nicholieeee]

19. i bet

that he'll say something tomorrow night. thats normally how he plays it when someone he doesn't agree with is on the show. btw, anyone remember him saying something about cheney coming on the show?? i vaguely remember him mentioning it, but i know cheney never went on. there's also a good chance that my mind is just making this up, but i'd like to know either way.

[Zinfandel]

20. .

[nickgutierrez]

21. I'm not seeing it.

The thing I got out of the interview was that Stewart asked more real questions in those two segments than most journalists do in entire, hour long, "real news" shows. The incidents you're referring to appear to be more Jon's speech patterns than of any real point of agreement.

[Don1]

22. My perception was that he was Colmes.

I already noted the "speech patterns" so that is not an issue.

For each big issue, he put up a little resistance. Then, after it was answered, he completely backed down.

This behavior is exactly what Franken rails against when criticizing Colmes in Franken's "Lies..." book.

However, you have a point, too, that no one else in corporate media has even come close to this level of questioning.

[nickgutierrez]

37. Jon Stewart's style works.

The reason his style works is simply because he is not a real corporate media journalist. He isn't employed to do "hard news" - his job is to make fun of the news, and to make people laugh.

However, it puts him in a uniquely comfortable situation. Because his job is primarily to make fun of the news, it gives him the freedom to come to the table with a certain level of insight that, because it is humorous, is necessarily different from the oddly consistent POV of the corporate media. So the fact that he gets his question in is, in itself, what makes him a stronger adversary than Colmes.

I also don't think Colin Powell was a very effective shill last night...

[Telly Savalas]

27. For fuck's sake...

this interview had the same tone as every other interview Jon does of a conservative on the the show. Anyone who's watched the show more a than a few times would know what the interview was going to be like and could have turned the damn TV off.

[theboss]

29. It's going to be a long 3 and a half years here

Some folks here need to be careful or they are going to be in a mental institution before January, 2008.

If folks are getting this worked up over a little comedy show, they are going to truly lose their mind when we go to war with Australia in 2007.

Wait...was I not supposed to say that?

[GreenArrow]

31. Powell is a liar

bottom line.

[grumpy old fart]

33. IMHO, JS shouldn't do real interviews with conservatives.he's not up to it

I love Stewart, don't get me wrong, but it would take a comedic GENIUS to pull off a truly searing interview of an evil opponent, get laughs, and ever get another conservative guest.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. Other: Who gives a shit?

[Vickers]

35. Why can't he be more like Hannity and O'Reilly?

:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

[JRob]

36. I was pretty disappointed...