Why I adore Jon Stewart

[geekchick]

Here's a transcript of his interview with Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard from Monday night about Hayes' new book "The Connection: How al Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America". As someone commented, Mr. Hayes probably didn't expect it to be a fake news show that ended up ripping him a new one.

J: Iran has done the same.

S: They’ve used weapons of mass destruction.

J: Yes.

S: When have they used weapons of mass destruction?

J: In the Iran-Iraq war. They both were mustard gassin’ back and forth.

S: Well, yeah, that’s one theory. I don’t think that that’s been shown. But in any-

J: Well you’re no one to talk about what’s been shown… No no no, I hear ya. And it’s very frustrating to sit on the outside and watch partisans go back and forth with what appears to be something that the rest of us end up paying for. But we’ll be right back with more of Stephen Hayes in a minute.

Comments

Re: cha CHING!!

[geekchick]

Yeah, I don't remember who that was, but I remember the phrase. =) That and the commentary on Ashcroft refusing to turn over a memo while saying that he wasn't invoking executive privilege to justify it; Jon said that it seemed like you'd need to invoke *something* in that case, maybe the "writ of douchebaggery".

[winterbadger]

I particularly loved:

J: We’re back with Stephen Hayes, and we’re talking about the Iraq-al Qaeda connection. I guess the issue is credibility. Do you feel like this administration is credible?

S: Well I think in some cases it’s credible, and in some cases it’s not.

Yep, even the Weekly Standard has trouble finding the administration credible.

Oh, and a little helping hand for Mr. Hayes:

CHEMICAL PROGRAM

Iran has had a chemical weapons production program since early in the Iran-Iraq war. It used chemical agents to respond to Iraqi chemical attacks on several occasions during that war. Since the early 1990s, it has put a high priority on its chemical weapons program because of its inability to respond in kind to Iraq’s chemical attacks and the discovery of substantial Iraqi efforts with advanced agents, such as the highly persistent nerve agent VX. Iran ratified the CWC, under which it will be obligated to eliminate its chemical program over a period of years. Nevertheless, it continues to upgrade and expand its chemical warfare production infrastructure and munitions arsenal.

Iran manufactures weapons for blister, blood, and choking agents; it is also believed to be conducting research on nerve agents. Iran has a stockpile of these weapons, including artillery shells and bombs, which could be used in another conflict in the region.

Although Iran is making a concerted effort to attain an independent production capability for all aspects of its chemical weapons program, it remains dependent on foreign sources for chemical warfare-related technologies. China is an important supplier of technologies and equipment for Iran’s chemical warfare program. Therefore, Chinese supply policies will be key to whether Tehran attains its long-term goal of independent production for these weapons.

from http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/prolif97/meafrica.html#iran

[elynne.livejournal.com]

I'd do Jon Stewart in a heartbeat. Throw myself at him, I would, tearing my clothes off and squealing with fangirlish glee. And probably end up having to pursue him with a pair of cuffs while stark naked, but hey... a girl can dream, can't she? :]