For those of us who were adults during the second Iraq War, one of the legendary victories for basic sense and decency in politics was the day Jon Stewart nuked Tucker Carlson on “Crossfire” in 2004. Stewart was riding high as the popular host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, and he reluctantly agreed to appear on the popular debate show that had aired on CNN since 1982. “Crossfire” was artificial, he felt, closer to a scripted wrestling match between partisans than a real political discussion.
Stewart did not refrain from expressing this opinion in the saltiest terms on-air, especially to Carlson, the show’s co-host who was cast as the overgrown college Republican with odious views and a polka dot bowtie. Carlson, he said, was a “d**k.” Stewart accused all the show’s hosts of being “hacks” who were “hurting America” by treating politics like an entertainment product instead of a serious business.
