Dowd hits the Tube

11:05 PM Tuesday Night - NY Times weekly yo-yo Maureen Dowd is scheduled to appear with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. I missed Mo on Russert's show Sunday so I am about to see her "live" for the first time! It's so exciting, like a first date! Is she pretty? How current is that head shot that runs with her columns? How will she fair sparring with a guy with a genuine sense of humor, in contrast to MoDo's snarky cynicism? (as if I have any real estate from which to criticize snarky cynisim) Let's find out!

Here she is! Big hair. Lots and lots of big red hair. Lots of looking at the ceiling, floor, and out into space, but not much to say; mostly one word answers to the small talk.

Now comes the red meat: the Bush family is like Star Wars, GWB is Luke Skywalker, Dick Cheney is Darth Vader, and "barking mad" to boot. Huh? I say again: HUH? "Barking mad" is the best the Times lead commentator can manage?

Here's a NewsFlash from Mo: Safire has a private secret phone! MoDo breaks this "secret" from the times Editorial offices, which she glibly calls "murderer's row." Gehrig, Ruth, and Meusal are now all on subterranean rotisseries.

Finally, the interview winds down and we get into the booze. Turns out that when things heat up in the Middle East, Tom Friedman seeks out the winsome Ms. Dowd for some afternoon daiquiris! Now here's a real revelation! We finally have a believable explanation for the Times editorial page! When the going gets tough, the writers hit the sauce.