Of late, Comedy Central's mock-political hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have considerably blurred the line between their "fake news" on-air personalities and actual political punditry. Only days after announcing joint/competing political rallies on DC's National Mall (ostensibly to lampoon Glenn Beck), Colbert made an unconventional decision to appear "in character" before the House Judiciary committee to testify about immigration. Most observers and partisans across the political aisle deemed his awkward performance an "embarrassment" to Democrats, with a few going as far to say that it was an "excruciatingly inappropriate spectacle."

Aiding his briefly-embattled colleague, Jon Stewart took a few minutes during the opening segment of The Daily Show to defend Colbert's testimony (and plug his "Rally to Restore Sanity" event). Coming out swinging with his signature spliced-news clips, Stewart savvily quipped, "Of course Colbert is more embarrassed than the House of Representatives, Colbert still has dignity and integrity left to lose."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden