Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Jon Stewart did a necessary and scathing rift on the many ways that Obama has continued Bush's shredding of the Constitution in pursuing the war on terror on Tuesday. He shows clip after clip of Obama saying how important it is to change the Bush policies in this regard, followed by clip after clip of him doing the same thing he condemned as a candidate.
You know the real tragedy of this? It takes a comedian to do what the mainstream media should be doing every day.
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Politics
Comments
It's a striking contrast that you'd think a real newscaster would have highlighted, instead of leaving it to a comedy show. I'm disappointed that Obama has done so poorly in this regard (and that the news media has done so poorly in covering it).
By the way, I think you mean "scathing riff."
Posted by: Zeno | June 20, 2010 9:59 AM
Idealism, meet reality.
Posted by: asdf | June 20, 2010 10:39 AM
John Stewart may claim to be merely a comedian, but he packs more hard news in one show than, say, Fox does in a year.
Obama must be called to account for not stopping torture and not restoring the ENTIRE Bill of Rights. And criminal members of the Bush administration (Cheney, etc.) must be brought to justice.
Posted by: Reverend Rodney | June 20, 2010 10:48 AM
Ed stated:
This clip is 8 minutes and 32 seconds long. I just finished Jonathan Atler's book on the first year of the Obama presidency, The Promise. You can't get anymore mainstream than Senior Newsweek Editor Jon Atler. This clip contained about 8 minutes more information regarding Obama's repeatedly breaking his oath to defend the Constitution than Mr. Atler's entire book.
Posted by: Michael Heath | June 20, 2010 10:52 AM
This clip contained about 8 minutes more information regarding Obama's repeatedly breaking his oath to defend the Constitution than Mr. Atler's entire book.
Good thing Americans don't read books anymore.
Posted by: William George | June 20, 2010 10:56 AM
Reverend Rodney - 'John Steward packs more into 8 minutes 20 seconds* than FOX does in a bazillion years.'
Fixed that for you. - Dingo
----
* About the time it takes light to travel from the Sun to the Earth
Posted by: DingoJack | June 20, 2010 11:34 AM
FANTASTIC Daily Show clip!
"Change we can believe in" my hiney!
Posted by: Angie | June 20, 2010 11:38 AM
Lemme splain this:
"Habeas Corpus for Innocents" might win Democratic Primaries
but
"Civil Rights for Terrorists" doesn't win electoral votes.
Am I right?
Posted by: asdf | June 20, 2010 11:41 AM
Re Michael Heath
Not to be picky here but AFAIK, the authors' name is Jonathan Alter.
Posted by: SLC | June 20, 2010 11:51 AM
I thought I knew that but mistyping it twice in one comment post doesn't provide much of an excuse it was an inadvertent typo.
Posted by: Michael Heath | June 20, 2010 12:15 PM
The day after the show this clip is from aired, Fox News said something about the bit. Although I'm not sure what since I was at work and only caught a "coming up after the commercial break" run down but they framed it as "Jon Stewart finally turns on Obama!".
Posted by: Jeremy Shaffer | June 20, 2010 12:47 PM
While I generally agree with the comments about the media, I think it should be noted that the clips Stewart used for contrast were from MSNBC... so clearly they are reporting these things. They may not lay it out so bluntly, but they are reporting it.
Posted by: havoc | June 20, 2010 1:15 PM
#12 I was thinking the same thing. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, most of those clips were not only from Maddow, but were all within a week or two.
As much as I enjoy Stewart, that is one part that always annoys me a bit, he likes to play into the popular meme that MSNBC is the left's version of fox news, and it is absurd to the Nth degree when you consider this kind of reporting, which quite frankly is pretty dang common on MSNBC. They are quite critical of Obama.
Posted by: Uncle Bob | June 20, 2010 1:51 PM
havoc - I don't consider MSNBC part of the mainstream media for two primary reasons though one is possibly changing for the better:
1) Their ratings are abysmally small.
2) Their exclusive coverage on a story does not eventually become part of the national consciousness by their influencing bigger outlets to run a like-story. Broadcast TV news shows and Fox News have big enough numbers to demand a presidential reaction to their stories. The New York Times and some other print media is often the basis of stories by media outlets with big audiences so they comply as well their influence. MSNBC doesn't have the ratings or influence to resonate beyond their studios, even with sister outlet NBC News on stories such as this.
I have noticed that these big media outlets and conservative leaders are starting to pay attention to at least Rachel Maddow on some stories. So perhaps someday MSNBC can pursue a story relentlessly enough that the protagonists of the story must respond because bigger outlets follow their lead. However in the case of President Obama's record in the federal courts that simply hasn't happened; he's not getting the volume of media pressure that demands he respond and he therefore doesn't.
Posted by: Michael Heath | June 20, 2010 1:59 PM
Maybe Bush just got a really deep sun tan.
Posted by: Paen | June 20, 2010 2:12 PM
And pulled that crayon out of his nose?
Posted by: Brandon | June 20, 2010 6:14 PM
you know the country is in trouble when jon stewart and al franken (deservedly) have more credibility than any "serious" politician or reporter
Posted by: kevin R | June 20, 2010 7:04 PM
Obama, don't wear the ring. I know it's very tempting ...
In a sense, it's not that surprising. Comedy and political commentary have gone hand in hand since Aristophanes.
Posted by: James K | June 21, 2010 1:29 AM
asdf @8 touches on the real real tragedy: there is just no constituency in this country for following the Constitution. That's what 50 years of crappy civics and no critical thinking education gets you. Among innumerable other disasters.
Posted by: BadExampleMan | June 21, 2010 4:49 AM
this is why Stewart is a more credible news source than anything mainstream.
http://punditkitchen.com/2009/03/26/political-pictures-jon-stewart-journalist-appalled/
Posted by: andrew | June 21, 2010 9:48 AM
When the news is a joke the only people you can rely on are comedians.
Posted by: random guy | June 22, 2010 12:48 AM