If only these presumably hard-hitting, oh-so-popular media personalities would take the time to educate themselves about the War of Terror in service to the oligarchs’ mission of global hegemony and desperate enterprise to save the collapsing petro-dollar, they might actually be able to come up with a serious question.

Curiously, in all his footage I’ve seen, the extraordinarily popular Mr. Stewart seems clueless about the myth of terror-based Islamo-fascism replacing the myth of terror-based Monolithic communism as both a motivation and excuse for anything and everything the oligarchs’ unconscionable operatives devise to perpetrate, e.g. 9/11.

Your point is certainly well taken. I also was disappointed initially to see that John’s been inviting on fanatical conservatives like this joker, but I suggest you check out the famous episode of “Crossfire” with John Stewart on it. His whole point was that we need to start listening to each other. And John did make his points in the clip.

    I think you’re right on the money, however. Especially the “music” comment. John should have refuted that they don’t play the music after the audience has been forced to stay awake and in solitary confinement for two days. John should have called him on more, but I think he wants to bring a little more civility to the discussion and at least start listening to each other.

  (I hope he realizes that they’re going to walk outside and tear him apart in the media as soon as he has listened to them. Unfortunately it tends not to be a two-way street. But we have to keep the lines of communication open to prevent hatred from building up even more - and this makes the people in the middle realize very quickly who the more civil part of this equasion is.)

What a bunch of dumb asses.
We (the USA) went to war over dubious information from a man that was tortured. 

We (our administration) are always saying “we gotta torture the bad guys ‘cause the’re bad”.  Most of the people tortured have been innocent.

And we set an example for the adversary to use on our own soldiers.

Remember, WE are the enemy.  WE have invaded another country.  They are trying to get rid of us.  I would be fighting the same dirty battle they are if some foreign country had invaded my homeland. 

And, it was not funny to laugh at ANY part of this war.  I know we need lighter moments in life but put yourself in the shoes of one of the children in Iraq who have had the blood and brains of their parents blown all over them.  You have seen the pictures.

And I am a Republican who did not vote for the moron who is president.  How could anybody listen to his ignorant mouth and vote for that man?  And I was TOTALLY against the war from the start.

There is NO excuse for torture, unless it is to serve justice to those that have tortured.

Sincerely, Don Stivers

Market will do that to you. Yup, they pass from nailing Ashcrazy so some other greater good may prevail. I don’t get it either. I hope Jon snaps out of it. Otherwise, it’s Letterman all over again. And I’m waiting Colbert to run out of lines. Being witty will only take you so far.

I can’t help wonder whether Ashcroft tortures his wife and children.

Just LISTENING to him is torture to me.

I couldn’t stand this interview… when they got to the sports part, I clicked off.

argggh!!!  :(

I can’t figure these “nicer than nice” politicians who come off to your face as people you’d trust with your life but who, behind your back according to the record, are about the most prejudiced, bigoted, narrow-minded and mean-spirited cutthroad bastards on the planet.

Ashcroft is clearly a heterosexist exclusionary who isn’t prepared to even consider that people who hold views contrary to his own are worth the time of day. There’s nothing wrong with his straight-laced, religiously slanted views… AS THEY APPLY TO HIMSELF. But like so many of his fellow travelers, he just doesn’t get it that, no matter what post he holds in government, HE HAS NO RIGHT TO IMPOSE THOSE PERSONAL PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS ON OTHERS who, for the most part, have no power to counter or override what they consider injustice.

Even if the people eventually get him out of the picture at the poles, the damage that is done, the trauma and discomfort that is inflicted, is REAL to those who feel it. And they have no recourse because Ashcroft et al have no power to go around tp put people’s lives back together. They can only destroy… and do it regularly with impunity and an air of righteous contempt that is nauseating to experience.

In the land of the “free” this is unacceptable, in my view. If elected officials, or anyone else, wants to change laws that affect people’s private and personal lives, for example, as they apply to euthanasia in Oregon or gay marriage elsewhere, SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO GO BACK TO THE PEOPLE TO SEEK PERMISSION TO DO SO, and be required to have significant majority support BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION.

One more tidbit… “IT SAYS SO IN THE BIBLE” should be considered IRRELEVANT. The Bible is NOT THE CONSTITUTION OR BILL OF RIGHTS and should have no validity with which to underwrite the laws in a free and secular society.

There are MILLIONS of Americans who think the Bible is a bunch of bunk. What about their rights to live a life FREE FROM RELIGION?

Never in my 74 year old mind do I remember hearing an American official - especially a former Attorney General of the United States - defend torture of a fellow human being.

An individual does not say publically anything that will reflect negatively on his character which can only mean that Ashcroft’s remark does NOT reflect negatively on his character in today’s America.

Now the only question remaining, and endlessly argued and re-argued, is whether we Americans can get away with it, can legally be off the hook.  What have we come to.

Uhm… Stewart and Colbert are comics… The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are NOT news programs, but political satire (comedy) shows.

I love these guys and actually get quite a bit of information I would not ordinarily get from the MSM, but they are what they are, satire, not news.

I couldn’t disagree more.  Stewart’s job is not to ask him the “hard-hitting” questions.  It’s to entertain.  But he “nailed” Ashcroft at least twice durring the interview, anyway.  He made Ashcroft looked like a befuddled fool.

The “Seat Of Heat” is a direct response to arguments like yours.  It’s saying, “Whatever.  We’re the Daily Show.  Get over it.”

The satire on both programs has never been so biting.

He did well in Missouri? He lost an election to a dead man!

Ashcroft characterized those who oppose all wars as “weak.” I suppose he would consider Ghandi weak.

Stewart has a history of turning into just another synchophant reporter who panders to guests on his show. He acts like a schoolboy interviewing his favorite sports celebrity. This is evident whenever any of these guests show up in person on the show.

Stewart will poke and jab at these people until they show up on the show, and then he behaves like Katie Couric. McCain gets a free pass every time he’s on. As such, the guest portion of the show is of negative value, and sometimes undermines the thrust of the show, as demonstrated with the Ashcroft interview.

To allow Ashcroft to characterize torture as “shouting in the face of somebody or any other alternative other than ‘would you please’” or loud music without without correcting him is unforgivable. Hopefully, Ashcroft gave him a doggie treat after the show for being a good boy.

Have you noticed that Bill Maher has also been a little tepid of late?

that’s right-ashcroft knows all about what billionaire white supremacist s&m bunch did 911. talking with this backwoods racist about anything else is vamping, and a waste of time.

I agree with jeanruss.  Colbert and Stewart have not been the same, and it’s a horrible thing because they were the only two who were exposing the absurdedness of our modern day.

I was disappointed in the interview. Here was a guy who quit flying commercial airlines before 9/11 because of what the cia told him, and no one asks him why. It has seemed lately that both stewart and colbert have really eased off and it’d unfortunate. I haven’t been as compelled to watch because of it. They have been neutered.