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TV critics and reviewers give their verdicts about Barack Obama's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The was not laughing:

"Two men - Jon Stewart and Barack Obama - brimming with mutual regard, each of them funny in his own way, but managing to not be very funny together for the show's entire 22 minutes (plus a minute or two). Like any smart 'Daily Show' guest, Obama knew the best bet was to play it straight."

the comedy show lacked jokes:

"[W]ho can blame comedy fans for anticipating flop sweat, which is one of the great entertainment vehicles to everyone who is not actually doing the sweating?
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"For better or worse, those fans came away disappointed.
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"...Obama played the serious guy on the funny network and he handled himself smoothly, just as he has handled himself smoothly on virtually all the other 10,000 television appearances he has made since assuming office."

the interview civil, never abrasive, and sympathetic without being sycophantic. All this, he thinks, cements Jon Stewart's talent and influence:

"By eschewing gotcha moments and overblown rhetoric, both men reminded the audience that it is possible to disagree without sacrificing civility, a lesson many TV hosts and guests could stand to learn. Stewart was clearly being more deferential than he is with most guests ('It's really hard not to talk' he said, after Obama thanked him for being polite), but most guests aren't the president of the United States. When you have one on your show, giving him time to speak isn't such a terrible idea."

that Jon Stewart has conflicting aspirations in TV and politics:

"When [Obama] is up against the wall, his response is a retreat to reason. No big campaign rhetoric, no zinging attacks. He gets more humble, and more professorial, less dynamic. This is, ironically, exactly the kind of 'sanity' that Stewart claims to want in the political discussion - a reasonable debate on the issues in which no one gets dinged for a clumsy soundbite. But that is not how television works, especially on Stewart's show, which specializes in exploiting soundbites. What will be remembered from this appearance are the stumbles, not the sober framework that contained them."

that the interview has destroyed Jon Stewart's credentials as a satirist:

"[I]t was actually more disconcerting to watch Mr. Stewart apply the standard liberal critique to Mr. Obama than it was to see the president of the United States bandy words with the host of a late night comedy show. Mr. Obama, after all, is more practiced, having set precedents with similar star turns when visiting David Letterman, Jay Leno and the women panelists of 'The View.'"

in not even acknowledging Jon Stewart as a comedian:

"The half-hour confirmed Stewart's presence as one of the most intelligent pundits on cable. How the appearance will help Obama and Democrats on Nov. 2 remains to be seen."

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