I've never been a David Letterman fan. Maybe this is because I prefer sleeping to late-night television, but I have always chalked it up more to not enjoying his generally snarky sense of humor. Well, mea culpa, Dave. Mea freakin' culpa.
Salon.com's "Video Dog" has compiled a clip reel of Dave's recent interview with Bill O'Reilly, and let me tell you, it's a doozy. All the things you've ever yelled at the TV while being forced to watch FOX News when you're on the elliptical machine at the gym (OK, maybe that's just me)? Dave says them.
As Video Dog is quick to point out, it's not that O'Reilly's outraged tone ever wavers, it's that you can see from his fidgety hand and leg just how unnerved he is. When Dave says, "I'm not smart enough to debate you point to point on this, but I have the feeling that about 60 percent of what you say is crap," I just wanted to cheer.
I think my other favorite moment is when Dave gets after O'Reilly for his rantings about Cindy Sheehan. "I'm really concerned about people like you who...have anything but endless sympathy for Cindy Sheehan. Honest to Christ."
Why in the hell is it that comedy shows are the ones doing the work of real journalists these days?