Robert Novak: Douchebag for Liberty

You must watch The Daily Show. On Monday’s show, Jon Stewart lead off with some great commentary on the recent talk show circuiting by Rumsfeld, Powell, Cheney, and Clarke.

Addressing Rice’s 60 Minutes appearance in which she said, “Nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be able to testify”:

[Stewart qua Rice] You see, here with you, I can lie. But those people [the 9/11 Commission] want you to put your hand on a Bible and swear to all kinds of crazy stuff. And that, that is not going to help us fight al Qaeda.

On Clarke suggesting, in response to charges that his recent testimony contradicts his 2002 testimony, that the administration not only declassify his October 2002 testimony, but also his 1/2001 memo, the eventual 9/2001 plan, all his emails and memos, and Dr. Rice’s testimony:

[Stewart qua Clarke] I see your declassified memo, and I raise you my hard drive.

Then things got really funny when Stewart turned to Bob Novak, who recently asked Congressman Rahm Emanuel whether he, “believe[s] watching these hearings that Dick Clarke has a problem with this African-American woman Condoleezza Rice?”

NOVAK: Congressman, do you believe – and you’re a sophisticated guy – watching these hearings that Dick Clarke has a problem with this African-American woman Condoleezza Rice?”

EMANUEL: [looks stunned, grabs earpiece] Say that again.

STEWART: [interrupting the video] Yes, Robert Novak. Please! Say that again.

NOVAK: Do you believe that Dick Clarke has a problem with this African-American woman Condoleezza Rice?

EMANUEL: [mixture of non-plussed and bewildered expression] No. Bob, give me a break, no.

STEWART: Wow. Who even knew this deck had a race card? Don’t you get it people? Civil rights activist Robert Novak is implying Richard Clarke was never interested in fighting terrorism — he just hates black people.

That’s the thing about Robert Novak. He’s all about fighting injustice. Whenever he sees a white man attacking a black woman, he’s gotta say something. Or when he hears about a CIA agent still working undercover, he has to reveal that person. That’s Robert Novak. A douchebag for liberty.

Indeed.

AB

P.S. Clarke wasn’t on The Daily Show last night, but apparently he’ll be on Tuesday night, followed by Karen Hughes on Wednesday.

UPDATE: Via Digby:

. But during the Democratic primaries, an unexpected foe stole the ratings crown from all three. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, a mock news program airing on Viacom’s (VIA) Comedy Central, attracted more viewers at 11 p.m. than any of the cable news channels in the last two weeks of January, outdoing Fox by 20 percent even as the news network was running live campaign coverage.