Jon Stewart vs. Rachel Maddow:

 It's On

— By Nick Baumann

| Wed Nov. 10, 2010 8:25 AM PST

On Monday, I suggested that Jon Stewart should go on Rachel Maddow's show so that they can hash out the ongoing argument over Stewart's "sanity" rally. Like Bill Maher, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and just about everyone at MSNBC, I thought at the rally Stewart was a bit too quick to suggest that the left and the right in America are equally reasonable and "sane," and too quick to imply that MSNBC folks like Maddow are basically doing the same thing as, say, Glenn Beck. On Monday night, Stewart used the top of his show to push back at his critics:

Here's the key bit:

Contrary to what people may believe, I do think the rally was about something, just not necessarily what they wanted it to be about, or what they think it was about. If we were inartful in that message, we were inartful. I disagree with their classification of it, but I'm sure we'll all have a chance to clarify on each other's programs for the next ten years.

Ah, foresight. Stewart will make his first appearance on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Thursday. I imagine that they'll talk about the rally—and the notion of "sanity." I'm looking forward to watching.