Crossing swords with Jon Stewart

For a comedian by trade, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart does a fantastic job of putting the wood to guests who might be adversarial.

The First Lady and I were reminded of this during his occasionally combative interview last night with New York Times columnist William Kristol. Stewart even got Kristol, a rock-ribbed right-winger, to awkwardly joke that he doesn't necessarily trust his own paper.

The lightweight exchange reminded me of Stewart's absolute evisceration of Tucker Carlson in the final few days before the 2004 election. A transcript of the entire beatdown is here. But here's the uppercut that sent Carlson reeling:

CARLSON: I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion.

STEWART: You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show.

"Crossfire" was canceled within a few months, and Carlson's career has never been the same.

Clearly, Stewart is bringing more than funny to the table.