Today John Stewart exposed the soft underbelly of CNN’s “Target USA” all-day program.

I’d quote the best lines here, but that would spoil the fun…

Watching Stewart is like seeing the best of the best stories of the day, but for news. Take, for example, his coverage of the “Bush reads The Stranger” story. What’s next, Bush reading poetry? There’s something deeply ironic about Bush reading up on “anti-dogma” philosophy, beyond the fact that the story of The Stranger is strangely appropriate to describe Bush’s agenda. Some have also pointed out that Bush Administration looked to Camus in his Feb 2005 “New Era in Transatlantic Unity” speech. Note the State Department’s byline: “Bush says Israeli-Palestinian settlement ‘within reach'” and the fact that Bush mentioned the path to a peaceful Lebanon in that speech. Perhaps he felt like he needed to go back and re-read Camus since things did not work out quite as expected.

Speaking of irony, Bill Moyers once suggested that the difference between journalism and poetry is freedom. Guess which one he thought was more grounded:

In discussing less politically charged subjects, Nye asked Moyers for his thoughts on poetry, since he and his wife, Judith, produce public readings every year. Moyers said poetry is the greatest outlet for the sensual, religious, erotic, intellectual and spiritual experiences in life, and that, although he has only written one poem in the course of his life, he greatly appreciates the art.

“Poetry is like going to church,� he said. “It is like finding a voice that says, ‘This, too, shall pass.’�

Moyers said his profession did not offer the same creative freedom that poetry could.

“As a journalist, you are not quite as much at liberty as the poet because you are supposed to be tethered to verification,� he said. “We’re supposed to offer evidence, and we’re supposed to have deep respect for the facts. You don’t speculate in public domain. The best journalists are cautious in that respect.�

However, Stewart clearly shows through his brilliant comedy that journalists on Fox and CNN are paid handsomely to speculate in the public domain. Meanwhile, poets seem more often to be the ones who wrangle with the facts of life (i.e. slam contests or even blogs). Thus it seems almost probable that a national poet would provide the public more sincere verification and tangible evidence than many of the national news reporters.

Oh, and for even more fun with security and the news, Stephen Colbert has some great tips on how to protect your identity.