‘I am in Iraq, you gotta believe me.’
By on Aug 21st, 2007 at 9:40 am
‘I am in Iraq, you gotta believe me.’
The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle filed his first report from Baghdad last night. “I’m in Iraq, you gotta believe me,” Riggle says. “I believe you, you’re clearly in Iraq. … What do you have to report about the war?” Jon Stewart asked. “The war?” Riggle responds. “I’m going to have to get back to you on that Jon.” Watch it:
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umm….this is an old clip, not a new one.
August 21st, 2007 at 9:49 amHow many F.U.s are in Febtober?
August 21st, 2007 at 9:49 amI think you may have posted the wrong clip…
August 21st, 2007 at 9:51 amThanks guys — we got the right one now.
August 21st, 2007 at 9:53 amJon Stewart & Bill Mahr are America’s best political satirists.
It’s great to laugh & release some of the tension the Bushit’s administer on a daily basis.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:00 amThanks Faiz! I missed this last night.
Rob Riggle is awesome. :)
August 21st, 2007 at 10:06 amGod, that was pure genius. XD
August 21st, 2007 at 10:15 amAt the risk of appearing to be too radical, after having served in Vietnam, I tend to view reports from a war zone as being seen as less than humorous. Soldiers returning in flag draped coffins, more of them coming back here mangled, crippled, paralyzed, blinded, burned, brain damaged, psychologically broken, all for no justifiable reason whatsoever. One wonders if Jon Stewart, that beloved liberal icon, would feel quite as jocular about being in a war ravaged country is his children were of military age and were risking their lives in Iraq. I suggest that Stewart and the other members of The Daily Show see the 1974 Oscar-winning documentary Hearts and Minds to discover the effects that war has on its victims, in this case those who suffered and felt the turmoil of the Vietnam War.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:18 amHow many F.U.s are in Febtober? -Comment by raynman
.67, to be exact.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:18 amCorrection regarding post #8- The penultimate sentence should read “…in a war ravaged country if his children were of military age and were risking their lives in Iraq.”
August 21st, 2007 at 10:21 amErroll
Laughter, is a coping mechanism.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:21 amI prefer Steven Colbert.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:23 amI prefer Steven Colbert. -Comment by Jake D
Colbert’s ’shtick’ is wearing thin, in my opinion.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:25 amAnd not surprisingly, the fake reporter (Riggle) says about as much as the real ones do about Iraq lately. I suspect this was the point of the report.
The Daily Show continues to be one of the best and brightest spots on an otherwise dismal TV landscape.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:27 amHardy, you nailed it.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:33 amThis is a parody of O’Hanlon and his sidekick landing in Iraq, holing up in the Green Zone for a week, then proclaiming their expertise on the situation.
Colbert’s ’shtick’ is wearing thin, in my opinion.
Comment by Zimzone — August 21, 2007 @ 10:25 am
I agree. His parody of O’Lielly is good but really, even if O’Lielly wasn’t a lying bastard, I wouldn’t watch his show – too much over the top yelling and me, me, me. Colbert does it well but I much prefer Stewart’s calm ‘can you imagine that’ approach.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:42 am#8 Comment by Erroll — August 21, 2007 @ 10:18 am
I definitely understand where you are coming from, but I have to disagree. The Daily Show is not only delicate and compassionate when dealing with specific issues, you can see that Jon Stewart really cares. He cares about our country AND our soldiers. Satire is one of the most effective means to wake people up to the reality of what is going on.
I agree 100% that this occupation is causing too much hate and has terrible consequences (as with any conflict, but even more so when it is unnecessary), but I think Jon Stewart and the Daily Show do a great job exposing how ridiculous the decisions are of those who are running the country. His satire is actually doing more to get our troops out of Iraq than many groups that are working tirelessly for the same end.
As an Iraq veteran and someone who has lost close friends there – as well as have more close friends still there, I understand your frustration, but I think you, me, and Jon Stewart are on the same team. Let’s get our troops out and restore America to a leader in the world – not a bully.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:45 amI have to agree with post 8. While the clip is funny it is a tragic subject and Americans wounded and dead are not something to be made light of… Young people watch this show and making war look cool with all the planes, tanks, boats etc is not a very good idea…. Unless the Daily Show is going to go off DOD script and show some real news, like a car bombs aftermath, or how Iraqi soilders and police are helping to set IED’s or the results of some young American who was in the sights of a snipers .50 cal rifle scope the real news the MSM does not show to try and drive the message home that war is a horrible evil product of man and should be avoided at ALL costs…… even if it is the soilders who have to stand up and say enough already!
August 21st, 2007 at 10:46 amOne wonders if Jon Stewart, that beloved liberal icon, would feel quite as jocular about being in a war ravaged country is his children were of military age and were risking their lives in Iraq. I suggest that Stewart and the other members of The Daily Show see the 1974 Oscar-winning documentary Hearts and Minds to discover the effects that war has on its victims, in this case those who suffered and felt the turmoil of the Vietnam War.
Comment by Erroll — August 21, 2007 @ 10:18 am
They’re there for the benefit of the troops in Iraq. Rob Riggle (a former Marine) went to Iraq with a USO Tour to entertain the troops with his schtick, and taped some bits for The Daily Show while he was there. Any humorous reporting they do there will be a morale-booster for the people serving there.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:50 amAgreed, Toasterhead
Not unlike Bob Hope & others, who helped many a ‘Nam Vet laugh between the tears.
As Bruce said above, laughter is a coping mechanism. American needs more laughter & less corporatists controlling our media.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:02 am#18 – “Young people watch this show and making war look cool with all the planes, tanks, boats etc is not a very good idea”
I think you give TDS viewers far too little credit.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:07 amComment by Erroll — August 21, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Erroll, I agree with you completely. War itself is not funny — it means death, destruction, injury, ruined lives, etc. Flag-draped coffins (when we are allowed to see them, which is rare) are not a reason to laugh.
But the point The Daily Show was making is that we send too many elected officials, pundits, columnists, etc. over there to “observe what’s going on” and either they see nothing at all or they see the carefully choreographed tableau staged just for them. I think sometimes satire is needed to drive home an ugly point, and this is one of those times.
Maybe if enough people realize that what visitors to Iraq report back to us is total bushwa, they will demand the truth and we can move closer toward halting the return of soldiers “in flag draped coffins, more of them coming back here mangled, crippled, paralyzed, blinded, burned, brain damaged, psychologically broken, all for no justifiable reason whatsoever.”
August 21st, 2007 at 11:18 amThank you MissMolly. You made the point much more eloquently than I could.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:29 amBut the point The Daily Show was making is that we send too many elected officials, pundits, columnists, etc. over there to “observe what’s going on†and either they see nothing at all or they see the carefully choreographed tableau staged just for them. I think sometimes satire is needed to drive home an ugly point, and this is one of those times.
Comment by missmolly — August 21, 2007 @ 11:18 am
And, unlike most of these pundits, Rob Riggle actually IS outside of the Green Zone.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:41 amAt the risk of appearing to be too radical, after having served in Vietnam, I tend to view reports from a war zone as being seen as less than humorous.
Comment by Erroll — August 21, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Its not humor its satire and its designed to show people the lies of the Bush administration and the reality that our troops are facing. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are comedians, working to end the war.
I can’t think of anything more respectful to the troops than that.
August 21st, 2007 at 12:17 pmI can’t think of anything more respectful to the troops than that.
Comment by LIL SERF — August 21, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
I was in Vietnam when M*A*S*H (the movie) came out and even though it was a thinly veiled poke at Vietnam, I found it to be very funny and made me feel like we weren’t the only ones that saw the idiocy of the war and of the “leaders”. Was very cathartic for me as I bet TDS will be for the troops in in Iraq.
August 21st, 2007 at 12:35 pmToo bad our Conservative Corporate Controlled Media can’t bring itself to take on the job….but most of America at this point are some of the most misinformed people on the planet….they have been slowly brainwashed into mindless sheep….most American’s could give a rip about anyone but themselves…if the war, and Bush’s criminal activities don’t effect them, then it’s all good. We got the administration we deserved.
August 21st, 2007 at 1:21 pmYou people rock! Seriously.
Thanks to the wonderful posters here, and the laughter-as-medicine from The Daily Show, I have managed to keep my sanity through this madness we are being subjected to.
Erroll, we here all agree that “reports from a war zone” are not humorous in and of themselves. The first time Jon Stewart made me laugh about our current batch of wars I thought to myself, “I can’t believe he just made me laugh about Iraq!!” and hence my healing began.
And I’ve needed a lot of healing since then. And I’ll probably need more in the future thanks to the bastards in the WH!!
August 21st, 2007 at 2:33 pmRob Riggle is actually a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.
And, I might add, HOT as all hell!!!
He could be embedded in my bed any time!
August 21st, 2007 at 3:19 pmThis “historian” (read: ideologue masquerading as a professor) is nothing but a partisan and fanatical ideologue; he also proves that many in academia lean shamelessly to the leftarded side. He failed to disprove Bush’s Iraq-Vietnam comparison. Like the scores of intellectual cowards and debate-impaired progtards here, the “historian” failed to challenge and thus disprove Bush based on Bush’s arguments. Instead, this sheeple-zombie of a historian just unimaginatively regurgitated leftarded talking points where he demonized Bush. This “historian” is such a chronic imbecile that even I can teach him a lesson about how Bush’s Iraq-Vietnam comparison is apt.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 pmBush is right because: when the US withdrew in Vietnam, many innocent civilians were massacred; the same will happen in Iraq if the US pulls out prematurely.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:58 pmBush is right because: when the US withdrew in Vietnam, many innocent civilians were massacred; the same will happen in Iraq if the US pulls out prematurely. In Vietnam, the pullout was instigated by traitor politicians and the lib media; in Iraq, the same is about to occur.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:58 pmThis “historian” (read: ideologue masquerading as a professor) is nothing but a partisan and fanatical ideologue; he also proves that many in academia lean shamelessly to the leftarded side. He failed to disprove Bush’s Iraq-Vietnam comparison. Like the scores of intellectual cowards and debate-impaired progtards here, the “historian” failed to challenge and thus disprove Bush based on Bush’s arguments. Instead, this sheeple-zombie of a historian just unimaginatively regurgitated leftarded talking points where he demonized Bush. This “historian” is such a chronic imbecile that even I can teach him a lesson about how Bush’s Iraq-Vietnam comparison is apt. Bush is right because: when the US withdrew in Vietnam, many innocent civilians were massacred; the same will happen in Iraq if the US pulls out prematurely. In Vietnam, the pullout was instigated by traitor politicians and the lib media; in Iraq, the same is about to occur.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:59 pm