Colbert vs. Daily Show

I love both of these programs. They feed me the important current events I need to know and then make me laugh the dire edge right off of them. In fact, my dream date doesn't have anything to with a cabana in the Casbah or a liquored up stripper and a pocketful of $1,000 bills. My dream date would be sitting on a nice sofa with a lovely lady, eating Lay's potato chips sprayed with the flavor of the month, and mutually laughing our asses off.

But which one is better? I mean, if you have children, you have to pick a favorite....right?

Colbert gets my inheritance. Here are some of my arguments. Rebuff them if you must.

Sharp, witty satire vs. sharp, witty impersonations: Colbert's show delivers nonstop ridicule to the rest of the mainstream media and politics all while convincingly taking their stances. This is the ultimate nerd dream. Beating up the bully without having to actually punch him in his fat nose. Stewart delivers the same satire, but often delivered in skits and vocal impersonations. This is usually a hit, but when it often misses, I feel like I should have a 13 year old sitting next to me to explain the joke.

Verbal creativity vs. touching monologues: Stewart sometimes diverts the news into a serious, level-headed ideologue. Much, much appreciated. But when he does this, the show ends, or just leads into a chummy interview with a washed up actor. Note that Colbert serves as the comic relief. This is why his show come after, not before. The writers for Colbert never fail to deliver. Oftentimes, the verbal wit is so fresh and unique that I realize a few seconds later, "did I just miss a PUN?!" instead of "How do I feel about this crossroads in national values." Laughing at my shortcomings in silly word-play is much more refreshing than laughing at my shortcomings in vested interest in national political issues.

Good cop vs. bad cop: Stewart treats all his guests with respect and due courtesy. Yawn. We all know some of them don't deserve it, and we already know what they're going to say before they say it. Sure, sometimes he dominates the conversation to face them against their ideological oppositions, but generally he just lets them rant on. Colbert on the other hand....well, if you've seen one interview, that's enough. Sure, Obama came to Stewart's show. But we all know we would've rather seen him face off with Colbert.