Jon Stewart treated Tony Blair shabbily

[Renew Deal]

Jon asked if Blair was being paid in euros. That was an ignorant statement.
He made some remark about knowing about the UK and then saying something about the Beatles.
He made a remark about Parliament being unsophisticated.
He tried to make a cheap point about the Falkland islands.
He cut off Blair several times.

It was really a poor interview for Jon Stewart. He could have done much better.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. Blair is a war criminal and deserves no respect.

[Subdivisions]

18. .

[JackRiddler]

Stewart an enabler, lightweight & total clown (at least on the "interviews")

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

42. FFS it's a comedy show.

The only reason people look to it as an actual source of news or in-depth interviews is because the rest of the US TV news media is so goddamn useless.

[JackRiddler]

49. So was that a comedian playing Blair last night?

[last1standing]

2. Please explain exactly why Tony Blair deserves respect.

He didn't respect us when he became bush's* poodle, so I feel no need to respect him now.

[Renew Deal]

3. If you're going to have someone over as a guest...

you should treat them somewhat well. Especially a foreign head of state.

[last1standing]

7. So if bush* were to be offered a guest blog on DU you would treat him with respect?

I know I wouldn't, but you're free to do what you want.

[Renew Deal]

21. That's beyond ridiculous.

Do you treat everyone you disagree with disrespectfully?

[Regret My New Name]

34. Stewart wasn't even disrespectful though... wtf?

[ima_sinnic]

47. "disagree with," or find morally bankrupt and reprehensible?

I don't simply "disagree with" B*sh or Blair, I know they are soulless and without conscience. Therefore, I do not respect them.

[last1standing]

50. When they're responsible for hundred of thousands of deaths, yes.

I call people like that "monsters". And to be honest, if you're a monster, you've lost my respect.

[angstlessk]

27. he ain't no 'head of state'...that would be Gordon Brown.,..he is a citizen of Britan

as I recall!

[Renew Deal]

30. Whatever justifies your anger...

:shrug:

[angstlessk]

31. thanks for pointing out that I am angry..I never knew...n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. Blair was never head of state

That's the queen. He was head of government. They don't get treated so well - they're just the current person with the support of a majority of the House of Commons.

[Lint Head]

4. Remember the Downing Street Memos and the deaths of innocent

human beings that they caused. :dem:

[DB1]

5. Maybe on purpose? Nah, dry sarcasm on his show to an asshole? no way.

[WarbirdForObama]

6. Stewart should have asked

what flavor of Poodle Chow he prefers!

No amount of disrespect for that foppish Bushie is too much disrepect.

He should be shunned, then transported to the Hague for his willingly decieving not only the people of England, but the world as well.

Tony the Poodle can go bugger himself.

[question everything]

8. I no longer watch Stewart, however he has always been a lousy interviewer

First, he has only five minutes which really is not enough.

Second, it is supposed to be a comedy routine and not every guest is fast with one word zingers.

Last, he does interrupt his guests in the middle. Rather, he asks a question, and then try to explain his question and pretty soon the program is over.

[Renew Deal]

22. He gave Blair 22 minutes with commercials.

That's the longest interview I remember on his show.

[tigereye]

when he interviews writers, he usually does pretty well for the short time

that he has. He is capable of asking very astute questions when he wants to...

[eowyn_of_rohan]

59. I don't watch the interviews usually

I do not think Jon Stewart is funny on his own, except for his opening monologues (which I assume are written for him or in collaboration with him). His ad-libs, gestures, facial expressions, etc. are often juvenile, trite, annoying, and generally NOT funny to me. I turn the show off usually right before the interview.

[question everything]

70. Bravo! Could not have said this better. Thanks (nt)

[leftofthedial]

9. good.

should have crapped on him right there in the studio.

[blonndee]

10. Good-he deserves it.

I didn't see it but I hope Jon gave him the Bernie Goldberg treatment.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

13. What's that?

The Bernie Goldberg treatment?

Does it involve just being a perfectly rude tool?

I know Bernie Goldberg. Rather, I knew him before he turned into a bitter rightwingnut. He really was a very nice man.

[blonndee]

16. It means calling right wing tools who spout nonsense out on it.

Jon's interview with Goldberg was one of the best I've ever seen. Jon called him out and was relentless, a real journalist (ironically enough).

[cynatnite]

11. You're expecting a serious one on a comedy show? n/t

[AlCzervik]

12. is he selling something or on the lecture circuit? Why is he here if not seeking some

media attention?

[Renew Deal]

24. He wasn't promoting anything as far as I could tell.

He mentioned he was teaching a class at Yale, but I doubt that's open to the public.

[AlCzervik]

26. that's why he's here.

[OwnedByFerrets]

14. I agree...he could have done much better....and nailed his

fucking ass to the table. The poodle was let off easy. FU Tony Blair.

[SweetieD]

15. Remember when Stewart interviewed Posh Spice

She kept saying she didn't get his humor. Maybe people don't get that he's supposed to be scarcastic. It is not supposed to be a serious interview or even quasi-serious.

[AlCzervik]

17. she was such an ass on that show.

[Regret My New Name]

35. heh had to look that up...

This what you're talking about?

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=117883&title=Spice-Girls

[Indenturedebtor]

75. LOL classic

Bekham came off as having a massive stick up her ass heh. You don't mess with the Jon lady!!!!

[underpants]

48. His interview of Jennifer Love Hewitt was like that

She was on to promote the Garfield movie and Stewart basically asked her why she was doing this crap

She was shocked.

:shrug:

[ClusterFreak]

19. Fuck Tony Blair.

Jon actually went easy on him. I think he just thought "Why bother"? Why bother really getting into it with this asshole. So he made a bunch of snide comments...so what? He also told him he appreciated him coming on his show, which Bush wouldn't do after being asked repeatedly.

Fuck Tony Blair.

He's a big boy. He can take it.

[Renew Deal]

25. I agree that he let him off easy.

I think it would have been a better interview if Stewart was a little smarter and more patient.

[ShortnFiery]

44. "if Stewart was a little smarter" WTF are you talking about? Stewart is super-smart.

What about Tony Blair warrants us to "curtsy" in his presence?

IMO, he's scum who helped enable BushCo to KILL and MAIM hundreds of thousands of people.

[lonestarnot]

20. Fuck that poodle that helped lie us into a fucking 13 bil. a month war and millions of deaths!

I wish Jon would have spit in his eye while talking of course.

[rebel with a cause]

23. I did not see it that way. I thought that it happened something like this.

The question about the Euros was because our money is not worth as much as the Euro, not an insult to Blair and not ignorant as I saw it.
The comment about the Beatles was just a joke about when England had done good for us?
The thing about Parliament was not that it was unsophisticated but that he had to answer to it but bush does not answer to us at all.
He was talking about democracies fighting and was trying to find a time when we opposed/fought them when they were a democracy as well as we were. Blair said each time he mentioned that they were not yet a democracy.
He cut Blair off at the end, and I was glad because I was shouting at Blair to STFU. He is still trying to sell the Iraq war as necessary and a success.

It was not a great interview because Jon should have shot him down more. He is no longer a head of state. He is now working as a teacher/professor here in the USA. No better than any of the rest of us.

He was bush's bitch when he was in office. I have no respect for him. Sorry, but the way I see it.

[Renew Deal]

29. You're being a little more kind than I am.

The brits use the pound, not the euro.
The parliment comment made a rough interview rougher.

I think that it could have been better if Stewart was a little smarter about it.

[ConsAreLiars]

28. Not shabbily enough. Blair is a murderer and a collaborator who

should be on trial with the other killers, not on a comedy show.

[Regret My New Name]

32. lolwut? I was actually unimpressed with Blair.

Not too sure what I was expecting, but ehnn.. As for Stewart, he did what he always does. I don't think he did anything wrong... He held back what he wanted to say.

[BlooInBloo]

33. Who cares how he treats a warmongering lapdog who got played for a chump...

by the world's biggest idiot?

[madrchsod]

36. blair deserves no respect

he has turned england into orwell's 1984.

[Sebastian Doyle]

37. Fuck Poodle Blair

It's clear that he hasn't learned a goddamn thing. He's still repeating all the same fucking lies.

[progressivebydesign]

38. Jon Stewart is a comedian, not a journalist. I know it's confusing. n/t

[XOKCowboy]

39. He gave him almost 20 minutes of his show

He let him give his side and treated him like any other guest except for about 3X longer. Tony had his chance and unlike our president actually appeared and answered the questions.

[Moochy]

40. Heaven Forfend! Shabbily? What Skullduggery!

:eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

43. Good for Jon Stewart! IMNSHO he rules over this newly anointed "Opus Dei" THUG.

:evilgrin:

[stray cat]

45. Its a comedy show with less than 10 minutes with a guest

[Orsino]

46. Stewart gives too much respect to his guests, including the warmongers like Blair...

...but he has to do so, in order to continue getting warmongers like Blair as occasional guests.

I would prefer that he bust on them with substance, though.

[tigereye]

51. that's what he always does - it's a comedy show...

[PeaceNikki]

52. *GASP* A comedian made JOKES!?!?

Oh NOES!!

[dkofos]

53. War criminals don't deserve respect.

[cliffordu]

54. BLAIR LIED AGAIN ABOUT A CONNECTION BETWEEN IRAN AND AL QAEDA.

[watercolors]

55. Blair is an a--hole

deserves it!

[Javaman]

56. When you believe it's okay to treat someone with respect that carried morons* water

in the run up and execution of the illegal Iraqi war, the illegal occupation and looking the other way on violations of the Geneva convention, than sir, I don't agree with you and frankly, it's a miracle, with everything we know, that Stewart didn't have him arrested and sent to the Hague.

[fascisthunter]

57. seriously... get a clue

don't give us some bullshit lecture on treating some the like of Tony Blair with ANY RESPECT!

[eowyn_of_rohan]

58. Insulting Blair is one thing, insulting Great Britain is low

HAve to say though, I taped the show and haven't seen it for myself, yet.

[otohara]

60. Bush Enabler Blair

now teaching Yale students how to be future puppets.

[Dogtown]

61. Stewart isn't about respect, you know

It's a political comedy based on sarcasm and lampoon.

Grotesque that Blair is, he's not stupid enough not to realize this.

I doubt you're that stupid either; hence, you have an agenda. Why don't you just out with it? You'd get more respect than by trying to be coy.

[SOS]

62. Blair should do a "town hall" in a market in Baghdad.

Then you'd see some real shabby treatment.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

63. Boo hoo hoo.

Fuck Tony Blair, and fuck his supporters.

[Arugula Latte]

64. I watched the show after reading your post (I'm on the west coast)

I was actually surprised at how civil and polite Jon was to that fucking war criminal.

[dysfunctional press]

65. tony blair DESERVES to be treated shabbily.

it's how he and bush treated the rest of the world.

[Aristus]

66. I disagree. I thought it was a masterful, hard-hitting interview.

The kind of interview "real" journalists stopped doing years ago.

Stewart's astonishing, eloquent response to Blair insistance that we invade Iraq in response to September 11th: "Could we ever fight enough wars, invade enough countries, or kill enough people to keep 19 people from doing that to us again?" Marvelous. Jon Stewart is amazing.

[dflprincess]

67. I don't recall Stewart saying Parliament was unsophisticated

he made a comment about the questions the Prime Minister has to answer and the cat-calling that goes on and Blair said it was more "sophisticated than that". Stewart replied, "Not when I've watched."

Over all, I thought he let Blair off too easily - especially when Tony babbled about "Al-Queda in Iraq" - The poodle should have been reminded that that didn't happen until after we invaded. On the other hand, it is a sad thing when we expect more from comedians than alledgely "real" reporters.

Did anyone else think Blair looked awful? Like he's not sleeping as he waits for the knock on the door and the authorities that will send him to The Hague?

[lame54]

68. Tony Blair treated Iraq "Shabbily"

[go west young man]

69. Blair is still lying along with the rest of em.

He knows they fabricated the evidence that was used to justify the war against Iraq. He believes its justified and for a greater cause. That's where he is reprehensible and deserves no respect.

In my opinion Stewart laid off him and gave him an easy pass. It is a comedy show after all. I love it when John nails em down though. I think he missed an opportunity to do so with Blair.

Blair has ruined what little standing empirical England had left in the world. Other countries now look at England as just another one of the states. America says jump and England says "how high?" That is true comedy.

[nadinbrzezinski]

71. Disagree with you, fully

and I watched it TWICE...

[alittlelark]

72. Go back to the Lounge...

It's easier to get away w/ stupid sh*t there.

[NashVegas]

73. I Thought It Was a Great Interview

Considering the enormity of Stewart's disagreement with the neo-cons, and the scathing treatment he and the show have given to Blair's pet cause, he was fantastically respectful.

That "cheap" Falklands point is more than relevant. Ever notice how every one of our government's enemies are "dictatorships"? Even elected ones?

The last 4 minutes were some of the most intense television you'd ever find.

The only thing I wish he could've spent more time on was globalism.

[CreekDog]

74. Stewart's best moment was when he went after Chris Matthews

what happened to Tony Blair was downright cordial in comparison, and Blair deserves no greater deference than any other guest.

Blair came on the show, he knew what to expect.

There should be no expectation of "politeness" as you define it, or even "respect".