Jon Stewart at top of political and media satire

NEW YORK -- Jon Stewart could barely contain himself.

A congressman had publicly called a colleague a "fruitcake" and, since it happened on a Friday night, Stewart couldn't joke about it on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" until three days later.

"I do believe we need to go to a 24-hour fake news channel," he said. "Fox can't be the only fake news channel out there!"

Stewart can't wait to bare the absurdities of the news and the people who cover it, and his sharp humor has made "The Daily Show" a growing force. No one hit the comic mark more consistently during the war in Iraq. As an election year approaches, Stewart's in top form.

He and "The Daily Show" are up for five Emmys next month, and the Television Critics Association gave him two awards last month. The critics even nominated "The Daily Show" for best achievement in news, along with "60 Minutes" and "Nightline."

On Aug. 14, the nation's reigning political celebrity, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, is Stewart's guest.

During unfunny times, viewers have responded to Stewart's ability to make fun. The show's average nightly audience has nearly doubled from 427,000 in 1999, the year he took over, to 788,000 so far this year.

'Find the absurdity'

"Even though terrible things are going on around us, I would hope that wouldn't mean that the sense of humor is lost," Stewart said, relaxing in his office after taping a show. "The idea isn't to make jokes about horrible things. The idea is to find the absurdity in the difficult circumstances around us."

Stewart helps keep political satire alive for a young audience that -- the experts say -- isn't very attuned to the news.

The show's fake "debate" about foreign policy, using film clips to show President Bush arguing about nation-building with presidential candidate Bush, was as pointed as a political cartoon.

"He's really strong at political satire," said CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. "I don't know of anybody who does it better than he does."

Blitzer said he can tell that Stewart and his staff are news junkies.

"The Daily Show" recognizes that its audience has an astute media awareness, too. Stewart made note last week, for example, that The New York Times used an obituary of comedian Bob Hope written by a reporter, Vincent Canby, who died in 2000.

Stewart also didn't let the latest odd Dan Rather moment pass by. He played tape of when the CBS anchor, in a deadpan voice, recited lyrics to "Take Me Home, Country Road" when former POW Jessica Lynch returned to West Virginia.

"I'm just glad he didn't keep going," Stewart said later. "He could have. There's more choruses. He could have gone into 'Annie's Song.' He could have gone into Jim Croce."

Stewart's political humor stands out, in part, because he's willing to be tough at a time others aren't. At the same time, he's less threatening because he has no ideological ax to grind.

"The idea of the show is not to be a bold, critical voice that stands out amidst timidity," he said. "It's more like, 'I think we need a fart joke at the end of this because we're getting too strident.' Ultimately, everyone here thinks of ourselves in terms of being a comedy show and that's it."

He's seen no evidence that his barbs against the president have drawn blood.

"The Daily Show" will begin gearing up this fall for another presidential campaign. Right now, the staff is just happy the GOP convention is in New York, so they can sleep in their own beds.

Stewart's "Indecision 2000" coverage attracted attention last time. With a larger audience, it's likely to get even more this time.

The upcoming Clinton appearance is an indication of that. Other than the insatiable need for applause, Stewart can't quite understand why it's important for politicians to go on comedy shows. Not that he's complaining.

"I can't imagine anyone lauding Churchill's legacy as, yes, he rallied England during its darkest hours but, also, tremendous ribald wit," he said. "Great leadership, as far as I know, doesn't require that you go toe to toe with pranksters, but for some reason, they feel that it adds to their electability."

Stewart is signed to stay with Comedy Central through the end of the 2004 elections. His name is always at the top of the list when broadcasters go looking for late-night talent. But unless one of the really big jobs -- Jay Leno's or David Letterman's -- open up unexpectedly, he's probably better off staying where he is.

"There are things about those jobs that are very appealing," he said. "There are things about those jobs that are unappealing. I'd probably think more about something else if I wasn't happy where I was. But I don't feel an emptiness, an itch. I like doing what I'm doing."