Expanding the Dialogue

Here's a link to Jon Stewart's interview with Kenneth Timmerman, author of the book "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown in Iran", on a recent episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Although Stewart takes care to inject a degree of levity into the proceedings [speaking about the similarities between Iraq and Iran, he says that the Bush administration was "only one letter off"], for the most part their conversation is surprisingly sober. Timmerman levels serious charges at the Iranian government concerning their involvement with Al-Qaeda and the attacks of September 11th. And their discussion of the true nature of anti-American sentiment in Iran is especially revealing: Timmerman argues that, in fact, the people of Iran love America; the protests and flag-burning that the mainstream media covers are staged by their government.

I think this perfectly illustrates the function that programs like The Daily Show can serve in expanding our national discussion of politics. Although it is intended to entertain, the dialogue in which Stewart and Timmerman engaged was far more detailed and thoughtful than any coverage I have seen broadcast by traditional outlets.