The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Indecision 2004

For the 10 of you who don?t already know, ?The Daily Show? is more-or-less daily show on Comedy Central that parodies news events, news makers, and, even more so, those who deliver the news. Under anchorman Jon Stewart, he of the exquisite expressions of disbelief, the series has actually become the news source of choice for the under-25 crowd.

This three DVD box set, ?The Daily Show: Indecision 2004? (subtitled "Prelude to a Recount", certainly proves that the show provided the most honest and entertaining coverage of the 2004 presidential debates, conventions and election. Disc one covers the Democratic convention (subtitled ?The Race from the White House?), disc two the Republican convention (?Target New York?), and disc three includes a potpourri of political material, from election night coverage to a School House Rock-like explanation of the futility of mid-term elections.

Although not every clip is a gem, 90% are extremely funny and a heaping helping are screamingly hysterical. ?The Daily Show? obviously subscribes to the theory that if you don?t laugh at politics, you have to cry, so the best moments are when Stewart lets the news events mock themselves, as when Zell Miller unleashed his vitriolic condemnation of his fellow Democrats at the Republican convention (even better is Stewart?s surprise at Miller?s near physical threats of Chris Matthews of ?Hardball?, equaled only by Stewart?s amazement at the fact that Matthews for once actually did play hardball).

In spite of the fact that Stewart is politically liberal, or perhaps because of it, the coverage of the Democratic convention is even funnier, like his pained expression when the Democrats, champion of the working man, the downtrodden, oppressed and forgotten people, cut to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton elegantly sipping champagne. But the high point of the convention coverage comes on day three of the Democratic convention, when Stewart takes the real news shows to task for their coverage of Al Sharpton?s energetic and nearly galvanizing speech. Stewart?s verbal shredding of the way the media dismissed Sharpton was wickedly acerbic and even ventured into righteousness, a beautiful contrast to the way he usually mines comedy by downplaying his and his show?s intelligence (as in hilarious interviews with Senator Joe Biden, Ted Koppel and Senator John Edwards? announcement on ?The Daily Show? of his candidacy).

The supporting players ? Stephen Colbert, Ed Helms, Samantha Bee, and Rob Corddry ? are all well represented in features on disc three, although Colbert is the clear laugh winner with his ?Minority Report? where he assembles and interviews a rainbow coalition of Democrat conventioneers, crowing triumphantly when he wrangles an ?Arab-tino?. Corddy?s Eminem take on the Democratic candidates debate in Detroit is another side-splitter. He gives all the candidates gangsta-rap nicknames, like calling Senator Joe Lieberman ?Da Bagel? and Senator John Kerry "MC Jowls". Even the late, lamented Steve Carrell (now on the series ?The Office?) turns in a look at Howard Dean?s primary campaign in ?Trail and Tribulations? that features Carrell rocking out to political rally music like "I Feel Good" while interviewing a deadpan politico.

Even the DVD ?liner notes? are hysterical, full of throwaway lines like, ?DVD Maintenance Tip: Do Not Break DVD?, ?It?s not illegal to raise tons of soft money ? just highly unsavory!? (re: a feature on 527 organizations), and subtitling New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson?s name as "en Espanol, 'Beel Reechardson?". Plus, you just gotta love a DVD set that includes the National Anthem sung in four part harmony by fake newscasters.