After being defeated in his 2004 re-election campaign to the Senate, Daschle in 2005 became a consultant and chairman of the executive advisory board at InterMedia Advisors.

Based in New York City, InterMedia Advisors is a private equity firm founded in part by longtime Daschle friend and Democratic fundraiser Leo Hindery, the former president of the YES network (the New York Yankees' and New Jersey Devils' cable television channel).

That same year he began his professional relationship with InterMedia, Daschle began using the services of Hindery's car and driver.

The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle's official compensation package at InterMedia, but Mr. Daschle -- who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense -- didn't declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.

Daschle, like Tim Geithner, paid his back taxes--a whopping 100K--during the vetting process for Secretary of Heath and Human Services. No penalties of course.

Also, like Geithner, Daschle claims, through a spokesperson, that Daschle corrected the "mistake" as soon as he realized it, which of course didn't occur until he was tapped on the shoulder to be in the Obama administration. I wonder if Daschle, who with his wife, has millions in family income every year, also uses Turbotax.

Am I supposed to buy this? Yes, clearly I am.

Back to Jon Stewart.

Stewart rose to public intellectual status because of his alleged honest-broker image. His ridicule of the Bush administration and the Republican congress was just "observational". He cemented that public perception with his notorious takedown of CNN's "Crossfire"

"Stop Hurting America, and come work for us (the people). Right now you're helping the politicians."

"I am here to confront you, because we need help--from the media--and they're hurting us."

"Its not honest. What you are doing is partisan hackery"

"You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably..."

"The thing is, when you have people on, its knee-jerk reactionary talk..."

Well, Stewart can no longer use the excuse of having puppets making crank phone calls as his lead in. Its just as funny, in that knot-in-your-stomach kiind of way, that the Obama administration has implemented conflict of interest guidelines so tough that Obama needs a fistful of waivers to put his team together. Its hilarious that two major nominees have oopsie-daisy five and six figure tax liabilities over three years periods.

Jon. Dude. You can't find any humor in this? I'm asking you to stop--stop hurting America. What you are doing is partisan hackery. Right now you are helping the politicians.

But you knew that, didn't you?