Molly Ivins was wonderful and very, very funny. And I hate to say this so soon after her death, but I have always had very mixed feelings about her writings about George Bush. She played very heavily into, and helped to foster, a feeling of intellectual superiority on the part of liberals and leftists. This feeling is no doubt justified when it comes to Bush himself, but in actual practice it has turned into a feeling by one part of America that it is superior to another part, thus decreasing dialogue and helping to polarize the country. John Stewart and Steven Colbert, brilliant and funny as they are–and believe me, I appreciate them–have played very similar roles.

As I say, I have mixed feelings, because I have to admit that I have enjoyed this style of humor a lot personally. But how much has it helped us win over hearts and minds in the heartland?