Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made news earlier this week by offering unsubstantiated and unattributed claims about presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to the Huffington Post.
On Wednesday, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart tore into Reid saying, "You are the Senate Majority Leader. You can’t just run to the Sideboob Gazette with ridiculous speculations" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
JON STEWART, HOST: Earlier we learned of Romney’s strategy to run for president while giving away as little information about who he actually is, like his tax returns. Mitt Romney’s refusal to release more than two years has been a delicious all you can eat buffet for Democrats. Sadly as with any buffet there is always one guy who doesn't know when to stop eating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL, MSNBC: Senator Reid told Sam Stein at the Huffington Post that he spoke with a Bain insider who told him, quote, “’Harry, he didn't pay any taxes for ten years.” Reid recounted the person saying, ‘He didn't pay taxes for ten years.' Now do I know that that’s true? Well, I'm not certain, said Reid.”
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[Laughter]
STEWART: Here’s a rule of thumb: if you have to follow your claim with the words, “I don't know if that's the truth,” then shut up because otherwise you might as well put a dead cocker spaniel on your head and start yelling about birth certificates. Which brings us to tonight's segment, “You, Harry Reid, Are Terrible.”
Should Mitt Romney release his tax returns? Of course. But him not doing the right thing doesn't give you license to do the wrong thing. “Oh, he won’t release his taxes? Why don’t I bait him with some wild guesses I pulled out of my ass?” You are the Senate Majority Leader. You can’t just run to the Sideboob Gazette with ridiculous speculations about what may or may not be in Mitt Romney's taxes. That’s this show’s job.
For those not getting the joke, the Huffington Post is becoming infamous for attracting readers with salacious pictures of women experience wardrobe malfunctions.
That said, we certainly appreciate the slam on Reid and the Post. However, Stewart ended up using this incident to bash Fox News.
The segment would have been far more meaningful if he instead would have attacked O'Donnell, MSNBC, and every other so-called news outlet that reported Reid's shameful smear.
I guess that's me expecting too much from Stewart.
