Jon Stewart on Katrina's fallout
For those of you who don't watch the Daily Show religiously, here is a transcription of last nights opening monologue (thanks jesterstear)
-
The root question is in the four years since 9/11, you have to ask yourself -
has the government's advancements, proceedures, etc., made us safer, given us
more comfort that they will have an effective or more effective response to
catastrophic events? And I think it's very clear that the answer is "Oh shit,
we're in trouble."
Now... for people who are saying "well stop pointing
fingers at the President, the left wing media is being too hard on..." No. Shut
up. No. This is inarguably... inarguably a failure of leadership from the top of
the federal government. Now, now, this is... remember when Bill Clinton - I
don't know if you remember this - when Bill Clinton went out with Monica
Lewinsky, that was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to
come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for
this behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now, and I
will say this - hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. One
difference, and I'll say this - the only difference is this... that tens of
thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina. That is the
only difference. Although, and here's an interesting point... her vagina at the
time was also known as "The Superdome." Very few people knew that. Do you prefer
"the big easy"?
But that is my point. So please, stop with the "well
people are carping on the thing," he didn't even stop his vacation. For three
days. I mean please, just shut up. And the news media, normally you know I have
much to say about the news media, I have to tell ya, the news media's spine,
their emotional coverage, their bravery, I thought that those things were
vestigal. Things that were from a past that, you know, the mic was just there
for no reason. It reminded me, I used to work at a bar, I was telling the
audience, called "The Bottom Half" in New Jersey. There was a fat guy there who
was an alcoholic and he just sat there, drinking and being fat. And one day,
someone tried to break into his car in the parking lot, and we told him, and he
got up and ran out there and he beat two people with a tire iron. And I remember
thinking "holy shit, that guy can move!" I had no idea he could move. That's how
I feel about the media. They are to be commended.
-
The root question is in the four years since 9/11, you have to ask yourself -
has the government's advancements, proceedures, etc., made us safer, given us
more comfort that they will have an effective or more effective response to
catastrophic events? And I think it's very clear that the answer is "Oh shit,
we're in trouble."
Now... for people who are saying "well stop pointing
fingers at the President, the left wing media is being too hard on..." No. Shut
up. No. This is inarguably... inarguably a failure of leadership from the top of
the federal government. Now, now, this is... remember when Bill Clinton - I
don't know if you remember this - when Bill Clinton went out with Monica
Lewinsky, that was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to
come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for
this behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now, and I
will say this - hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. One
difference, and I'll say this - the only difference is this... that tens of
thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina. That is the
only difference. Although, and here's an interesting point... her vagina at the
time was also known as "The Superdome." Very few people knew that. Do you prefer
"the big easy"?
But that is my point. So please, stop with the "well
people are carping on the thing," he didn't even stop his vacation. For three
days. I mean please, just shut up. And the news media, normally you know I have
much to say about the news media, I have to tell ya, the news media's spine,
their emotional coverage, their bravery, I thought that those things were
vestigal. Things that were from a past that, you know, the mic was just there
for no reason. It reminded me, I used to work at a bar, I was telling the
audience, called "The Bottom Half" in New Jersey. There was a fat guy there who
was an alcoholic and he just sat there, drinking and being fat. And one day,
someone tried to break into his car in the parking lot, and we told him, and he
got up and ran out there and he beat two people with a tire iron. And I remember
thinking "holy shit, that guy can move!" I had no idea he could move. That's how
I feel about the media. They are to be commended.