07.21.09 BRIAN WILLIAMS VS. JON STEWART FTW

Brian Williams is by far and away the best regular guest on “The Daily Show.”  Williams makes the news all boring on NBC with his gravitas, but he’s actually got a very dry sense of humor and an acerbic wit.  On last night’s show, Jon Stewart grilled him about the journalistic ethics — or lack thereof — in trying to land an interview with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.  It made for some terrific exchanges, but none better than this:

Stewart: Walter Cronkite was a giant in the industry.  Is that a man you looked up to?  Is that a man who…
Williams: The guy I wanted to be when I was a kid.
Stewart: Really?
Williams: It was like Carrot Top to you.
Stewart: [pause] So, how does it feel to fall so short?

Best thing on TV last night, hands down.  And that’s saying a lot, because “Dating in the Dark” was excellent.  So congratulations, Brian Williams and Jon Stewart.  You bested the show about people making out in a dark room.