John Yoo Waterboards Jon Stewart

Oh, it was joyous for me to watch. You can see Stewart trying desperately to treat Yoo as the guy who gave the Bush Administration 'permission' to torture terrorists. And all Yoo had to do to stump him completely was stay on the facts, smile, and correct Stewart's constant 'innocent' misunderstanding of the issues.

Stewart claimed that he wasn't a constitutional scholar, but really, the issue wasn't all that complex. I'm not a constitutional scholar either, and I could grasp the concept. The Bush administration realized that traditional interrogation methods used by civilian courts would put American lives in danger, but also acknowledged that it could not torture. So they asked Yoo to determine how far beyond the traditional interrogation methods they could go without entering the realm of 'torture'.

What's so telling about the interview is how Stewart just can't wrap his head around a concept that doesn't reinforce his belief that the Bush Administration was evil. If it begins with the concept that they were trying to keep Americans safe and stay within the bounds of the law then the ideas just bounce off his forehead.

Which reminds me -- I need to write something about Glenn Beck. This guy is really starting to annoy me. He reminds me of a fat, unfunny version of Jon Stewart. If Glenn Beck displays even one more iota of incredulousness I think the universe may just fold up on itself like a cheap card table. I agree with some of what he says, but his delivery makes my head feel like its in a vise.

What I liked about the interview with Yoo is that he just stated the facts after Stewart tried (repeatedly) to distort them by acting obtuse. Stewart would say something like, "So... you're the guy who gave Bush the legal 'OK' to torture people... right?" Yoo would correct him, politely, and then Stewart would play the role of tortured idiot some more by saying, "So.... you told Bush just 'how much' he could torture people...?"

Stewart, troglodyte that he is, just kept trying to dress up Yoo as a monster, and it was so obvious, and obviously wrong. This is why Stewart looked like such a fool. He should leave political commentary to people who know what they're talking about.

As for Beck... I can't get past his style. I prefer Dennis Miller or Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh I like because he just presents the facts as they are, which paints the Left as imbeciles and leaves it at that. He doesn't goggle his eyes or wave his hands around or look bewildered. My parents love Beck, but... I just can't enjoy him. I think it may be because Beck actually looks (to me) like the Left's stereotypical conservative: fat, blustery and perpetually incredulous.

I do enjoy his Ross Perot-like diagrams and other props. He is reaching a particular demographic, I'll acknowledge that much.

Ok, so you're looking for a commentator that starts apart from party affiliations. They're hard to come by. I think Rush hasn't spared the GOP scathing criticism when they deserve it. And he clearly espouses a political position.

Agreed. I sometimes worry that I'm sticking to sources that confirm what I already believe -- which isn't going to help me fine tune my positions. I can't get into sources that have lost my trust, however. I've found that a good source of alternative political opinion for me to be 'Reason' magazine. What I like about it is that I agree with some of their positions, but not all. You should give them a try. They're more libertarian than conservative, but there's a significant area of overlap. If you find that you're a fiscal conservative but socially liberal, then you may find it interesting.