Jon Stewart was on Crossfire today. The denizens of Dailykos have a blow-by-blow and transcript for you. Reads like Jon Stewart took the rage that so many of us feel about the absolute hacks who pretend to be the wise punditocracy and channeled it to take Tucker Carlson and Paul "you're ignorant if you don't watch my show" Begala to the woodshed. I cannot believe for a second that Begala believes what he said in this transcript:

STEWART: Spin alley.

[...] BEGALA: What are you talking about? You mean at these debates?

STEWART: Yes. You go to spin alley, the place called spin alley. Now, don't you think that, for people watching at home, that's kind of a drag, that you're literally walking to a place called deception lane?

STEWART: Like, it's spin alley. It's -- don't you see, that's the issue I'm trying to talk to you guys...

BEGALA: No, I actually believe -- I have a lot of friends who work for President Bush. I went to college with some of them.

[...] They actually believe what they're saying. They want to persuade you. That's what they're trying to do by spinning. But I don't doubt for a minute these people who work for President Bush, who I disagree with on everything, they believe that stuff, Jon. This is not a lie or a deception at all. They believe in him, just like I believe in my guy.

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: I think they believe President Bush would do a better job. And I believe the Kerry guys believe President Kerry would do a better job. But what I believe is, they're not making honest arguments. So what they're doing is, in their mind, the ends justify the means.

BEGALA: I don't think so at all.

Begala, you're either lying, or you're a completely compromised idiot.

What hacks. They've all lost all sense of reality, these pundits, on their little insular shows with their clubby friends and feigned interest in real issues that affect real people. I am repeatedly appalled by the media and pundits.

Kudos to Jon Stewart for calling a hack a hack. Like too few in the national spotlight, he is a true patriot.

Tonight, after a long couple of days working on a project with a colleague in from out of town, I began my 'keep-drinking-'til-the-election' binge. Two martinis - one for the project, one for my friend who just defended her PhD dissertation. I sense many more martinis in my near future. And thank god I wasn't home to see the Begala-Carlson shamefulness in real-time, or TheSpouse and I might be having to shop for a new television this weekend.

Btw, I am planning to give Jon Stewart's book to many as a Christmas present this year, regardless of the election outcomes. It's sheer brilliance.