Jon Stewart is back in the news, appearing today on Fox News Sunday.  The widely accepted view is that his political satire is a boon to our democracy, and totally divorced from partisanship.  Stewart gained visibility from a previous appearance on cable news, a 2004 debate against Tucker Carlson, which elevated Stewart as a paragon of integrity.  Let's review that fateful exchange:  On October 15, 2004, Stewart appeared on Crossfire.  He was arrogant and insulting from the beginning of the interview.  He proceeded to lecture co-hosts Carlson and Paul Begala on why they are "hurting America."  Carlson pointed out how contradictory Stewart's sanctimonious diatribe was -- he had accused Crossfire and similar shows of being too hard on politicians, while in the next breath saying that they are "part of [politicians] strategies."  Perhaps frustrated by his own non-sequitur, Stewart resorted to calling the hosts of Crossfire "political...hacks."...(Read Full Post)