Who Doesn't Love Jon Stewart?

He is one of the most trusted (fake) journalists in America.

Though this spot is the program’s mocking sendup of itself and the news media’s mania for self-promotion, it inadvertently gets at one very real truth: the emergence of “The Daily Show” as a genuine cultural and political force. When Americans were asked in a 2007 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press to name the journalist they most admired, Mr. Stewart, the fake news anchor, came in at No. 4, tied with the real news anchors Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw of NBC, Dan Rather of CBS and Anderson Cooper of CNN. And a study this year from the center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism concluded that “ ‘The Daily Show’ is clearly impacting American dialogue” and “getting people to think critically about the public square.”

I am a huge fan of The Daily Show. Not being tied down to a 24-hour news cycle, asking tough questions on serious issues, and the obviousness of Jon's heart behind his biting humor serves to make The Daily Show one of the best programs on TV. You can probably learn more about what's going on in the world than by watching any other program.

Here's a great clip from a recent show where Jon takes a look at the John Edwards affair, the Russia/Georgia conflict, and Bush's gold medal in "lack of self-awareness."