Jon Stewart vs. Bill Bennett

Did anyone catch the Daily Show interview last night between Jon Stewart and Bill Bennett? If not, you missed out on a real treat, but fortunately for you, I'm posting the clip below. I'm astounded by Stewart's politically savvy, and his rhetorical skill. Somehow he finds a way to talk to some of the most hypocritical cretins, and rise above their malice to speak about subjects with sophistication and wit.



Take the above debate. I haven't seen anyone cut so deep into the issue of gay marriage like Stewart, who quietly, and elegantly slices Bennett's argument into shreds, matching him quip for quip. I especially enjoyed his come back when Bennett made the claim that the argument is about whether marriage is between a man and woman--a claim Stewart completely derails when he retorts, "no the arguement is whether gay people are a part of the human condition, or whether it's a random fetish." This comment bears a bit of study, if only for its rhetorical value. His use of the words "random fetish," really ties Bennett into a hole. It seems, unlike the civil rights debate of the 60s, that those who fight against gay marriage must simultaneously prevent themselves from coming off as bigots. Agreeing that being gay is "a random fetish" demeans gays, while admitting that they are a part of the "human condition," is a de facto concurrence that they are part of nature, and God's plan (particularly important since the lead proponents of anti-gay marriage laws are evangelicals).

Jon Stewart, positively brilliant.