It seems even comedian Jon Stewart is a offended by Newsweek's pathetic cover photo of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Unfortunately, after ridiculing the magazine and its editor Tina Brown for using an obviously "s---ty picture," the "Daily Show" host couldn't resist taking some potshots of his own at the conservative presidential candidate (video follows with transcript and commentary):
JON STEWART, HOST: Welcome back. Now, as we have recently documented on this very program, there is nothing that the Right enjoys more in this country than complaining about how hard it is for them to enjoy being in this country.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIPS)
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: The mainstream media holds conservatives to different standards than their liberal colleagues.
STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS: The mainstream media wants to blame the Republicans.
DAVE BRIGGS, FOX NEWS: It seems the media is waging a war against conservative women.
LOU DOBBS, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: Scientific proof that the mainstream liberal media is blatantly liberal and it's biased.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
STEWART: Conservatives hate the liberal media so much they're even willing to accept an argument based on science! And you know, the worst part about when the Right complains about the mainstream media? When their argument contains a kernel of truth. Ugh! Case in point, this week's Newsweek cover which seems to have captured Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at the exact moment she sees the Amazing Ribaldo turn his hat into a dove. “That's amazing! When do we start the photo shoot?”
Look, Newsweek. Newsweek - that's a s—-ty picture of Michele Bachmann. And clearly not an accidentally s—-ty picture of Michele Bachmann. Because you can say a lot of things about Michele Bachmann -- a lot of things -- but here's what you can't say about Michele Bachmann: that she is not photogenic. I mean, look at her. Here she is inside. Here she is outside. Jesus, that could be a shampoo ad! Here she is screaming into a bullhorn and making it look attractive. My point is you've got to go pretty far out of your way to find a crappy photo of Michele Bachmann. And you did. Why?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA MITCHELL, MSNBC: In a statement, Newsweek editor Tina Brown said, “Michele Bachmann's intensity is galvanizing voters in Iowa right now, and Newsweek's cover captures that.”
(END VIDEO CLIP)
That's not a nice picture. I mean, I get it, Newsweek. You put in "The Queen of Rage" juxtaposed with a picture of a lady that appears to be enchanted by simple math being done on a black board that’s hung too high. Or maybe it's a child thinking of cake. But be honest, Newsweek: you used that photo in a petty attempt to make Michele Bachmann look crazy.
Nice segment up to this point. Sadly, Stewart couldn't bring himself to do a piece about Bachmann without bashing her:
STEWART: But be honest, Newsweek: you used that photo in a petty attempt to make Michele Bachmann look crazy. And that's what her words are for!
“If you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle it's bondage…it's a very sad life…it's part of Satan, I think, to say ‘This is gay.’” Or "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out - are they pro-America or anti-America.” Or "I believe that there's a very strong chance that we will see young people put into mandatory service and the real concern is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people.” You want a photo, a photo that makes her seem a little off? Make it out of her words!
So I say shame on you! Shame on you, Newsweek, and your editor Tina Brown. No, too glamorous. Yeah, no, getting there. That's the stuff.
How childish and disappointing.
Stewart had the opportunity here to take the high road by simply admonishing Newsweek and Brown for a poor error in judgment. Rather than doing so, he used the incident to himself attack the Congresswoman without an provocation.
All the quotes he cited are old news. There wasn't any reason to recycle them.
By doing so, he was actually behaving just as badly as Newsweek and Brown.
This was much like his pathetic apology in June after he badly misrepresented polls of Fox News viewers during his interview with Chris Wallace.
After fact-checking organization PolitiFact found his statements false, he proceeded to childishly spend three minutes of a subsequent "Daily Show" listing all the times PF determined FNC's comments were likewise.
What's truly unfortunate is that a man of his admittedly advanced intellect can't see when he is actually making a fool of himself.
Shame on you, Jon Stewart.
