Video: The Jon Stewart Factor

I’ll say this about Bill O’Reilly: Jon Stewart doesn’t fill him with rage and indignation. Those bombastic emotions, it seems, are reserved for Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow.

On Wednesday, comedy’s razor-sharp political court jester made a return trip to “The Factor.” Poised, relaxed and honest, Stewart–who was pushing his new book, “The Earth” and his October 30 Washington, DC Restore Sanity rally– conceded to some disappointment with President Obama’s performance.

Bill O: “Obama remorse? Did you buy the Messiah thing?”

Stewart: “I didn’t buy the Messiah thing with the Messiah. … I’ve been saddened to see that someone who ran on the idea that you can’t expect to get different results with the same people and the same system has kept in place so many of the same people and the same system.”

Bill O predictably took Obama out to the Fox News wood shed with the President’s reaction to the proposed Ground Zero Mosque. “He wouldn’t comment on the wisdom of it. And you mocked him.”

Stewart: “Well, I mock people.”

And then “The Daily Show’s” comic maestro proceeded to mock Bill O, impersonating the blowhard’s weekend with so-called “regular folks.”

Stewart’s genius is found in his uncanny ability to straddle pure satire and serious discussion in one conversation. The fact that the conversation is with a pompous bloviator speaks to his cool temperament, too.

Stewart has the courage–shared by many progressive commentators–to speak out against Obama, the candidate into which we channeled so much, perhaps too much, hope. “I agree with the sentiment that he ran as a visionary and he’s led as a functionary.”

Name a conservative who was that openly critical of Bush? Proud to be a liberal.

On his rally: “What I’m hearing from people is that the real voices are muted by the extremists in places like Fox News (ZING!) They want to feel a catharsis, that they’re not alone… We’re trying to find that thin sliver of America between pinhead and patriot.”

Bill O took a few swings at Stewart, too. He missed every time. But at least he was willing to play. Again.

I’m pretty sure Bill O. has more respect for Stewart than Glenn Beck. Probably likes him better, too.

What’s not to like?

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