Daily Show, John Kerry, simulblogging

Tonight, John Kerry does an extended interview on Daily Show.

I've been chuckling today as I've read editorials tongue-clucking about John Kerry's first interview in awhile being Daily Show. "He wants to hit softballs before facing the press," they babble. Are they watching the same daily show as I am? Ask Congressman Bonilla about Jon Stewart's softballs. Ditto for those who carp that the Daily Show is fake news; when the "real" news starts to call a spade a spade, they will stop losing prestigious journalism awards to the fake news. (see, for example, the flap over the "more sensitive war on terror.")

Of course, Stewart is probably more sympathetic to Kerry. I guess we will see.

10:12
Kerry is on.

10:19
First impressions, mid-interview.

I don't care that it is the truth that both Kerry and Bush have flip-flopped, or that the whole issue is fake in the first place. Kerry should not have said, "I've flip-flopped, flap-flipped..." That's going to end up on an RNC loop somewhere.

He's really hammering this "stubborn" theme, but I think it could have been done more elegantly. Certainly, one of President Bush's main political characteristics is to portray himself as decisive, staying the course, even when in reality this requires Bush to do some contortions when he does have to change his mind (this goes with the flip-flop thing).

As I am typing this, I saw a commercial for the Nader factor. (www.thenaderfactor.com). It's pretty extraordinary to me to even see a commercial from these people.

10:25
Stewart hits on the loyalty oaths required to attend a Bush rally.

Final impressions:
It seemed a little too much like Stewart was spoon-feeding talking points to Kerry. Kerry, I think to his credit, floundered a little bit when trying to hammer the anti-Bush talking points. He was very articulate when he briefly discussed energy policy or the mounting economic crisis. More of that is in order.