"This is the classic Jon Stewart dilemma. Once a year, he goes on The O’Reilly Factor or Crossfire or whatever and he lets everyone have it, which is great, but while he lets everyone have it, he himself hides behind the “I’m just a comedian and my show should not be taken seriously” shield. That is a dumb shield and it is full of holes! Because no one cares more about what Jon Stewart has to say than Jon Stewart himself. That’s not a criticism in any way. I am just saying, let’s all own up to both our opinions as well as our hard-earned place in the conversation. Yes, Jon Stewart is a comedian, yes, The Daily Show is a comedy show, yes that means that it needs to be judged by very different criteria than anything on CNN or FOX News or any other ostensibly fact-based outlet. But that doesn’t mean that Jon Stewart isn’t working very hard to make sure people listen to what he has to say and take some of it to heart. One of the main reasons he and his show are successful is because he clearly has strong and thoughtful convictions about so many of the issues of which he makes light. Good! That’s a good thing! But so don’t pretend like it doesn’t matter or is trivial or unimportant or that it is somehow beside the point as soon as someone who disagrees with you dares to argue back."