Stewart To Julian Assange: 'Stop With The Drama' (VIDEO)

Tuesday night's "Daily Show" continued Jon Stewart's coverage of the latest WikiLeaks release of over 200,000 secret government documents. Responding to media claims that founder Julian Assange is a form of terrorist for revealing the covert discussions, Stewart analyzed the type of information he uncovered and asked for Assange to "stop with the drama."

Media outlets have called the WIkiLeaks dump a "diplomatic 9/11," but based on the "mostly non-policy chit chat" that was leaked, Stewart said it was more like a "diplomatic mischief night, maybe."

While Stewart agrees that transparency is good, and just the night before was upset by WikiLeaks' information on Saudi Arabia, he also knows that secrecy doesn't always indicate nefariousness. He used a reporter asking Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton if she was "embarrassed" by the findings as an example of their non-importance:

"Embarrassed? Were you alive in the 90s?"

Pondering why Julian Assange started WikiLeaks, Stewart showed a clip where he explains that he is a "combative person" so WikiLeaks is "personally, deeply satisfying" to him. But Stewart still didn't quite get Assange's motivation, let alone if it has any real effect on the American people.

"I think you're underestimating how cynical Americans are about our government already," Stewart said, citing numerous wars and indefensible actions which we already know about as evidence. "So unless in these WikiLeaks we are going to learn that the aliens from Area 51 killed Kennedy, stop with the drama."

For more, Stewart turned to Aasif Mandvi to discuss the importance of transparency in government which, according to Mandvi, is why he "gets to see your penis at the airport."

WATCH:

Comments

[ALiberalKidd]

12:27 PM on 12/10/2010

So this "drama" is of Mr Assange's making? Apparently sponsors of the "Combine" have gotten to Stewart and told him to get back into his comedic place. Like other paid media agents, Stewart is now trying to dismiss, undermine, and trivialize Mr. Assange's sacrifices, efforts, and works. Mr. Assange has been framed, imprisoned, and is in the cross-hairs of the killing machine. Yet, Stewart is blaming Mr. Assange for creating this “drama” by "releasing things that are not surprising or things that passive and cowardly Americans already know?"

It is a sad commentary on Mr. Stewart and all other free Americans when Stewart acknowledges that Americans already know of the atrocities, lies, and crimes disclosed by wikileaks. Yet, Mr. Stewart seems ok to keep making his millions mocking the evil ones, while we laugh, and the majority of weak Americans content neither to hear, see, or expose/speak the truth. But the greater problem I have here with Mr. Stewart is that he seems to be having trouble distinguishing between the good, the bad, and the sincere. Moreover, Mr. Stewart has failed to recognize that some young European types like John Lennon and Mr. Assange have deeper convictions than most of America’s young citizens and millionaire media professionals.

After witnessing Stewart's kid glove treatment of Rice, I feel that Stewart's mission is to pacify progressive with political satire and laughter.

[mikesw]

08:07 PM on 12/05/2010

Stewart is floundering after his silly Washington rally. And, more and more, he's just full of himself.

Too bad, because sometimes he is great.

[Just Because]

03:49 PM on 12/05/2010

The rest of the world being more badd-ass than America is what he might fear to be coming out of these leaks ...

[Nina Arnelli]

09:07 PM on 12/03/2010

The 250,000 cables that wiki leaks released is nothing compared to the 16 million documents that are classified top secret. Those who hold top secret clearance are now that of 1.5 times the population of Washington D.C.. At what point does anyone start questioning the cost, the agencies involved, how many people it employs etc. ? Whether or not it is the caliber of the pentagon papers or whether or not you think you already know all that was leaked is a mute point. The real issue is how the hell are we going to break a system of government secrecy and corporate domination that is killing the only checks and balance system we have..THE FREE PRESS? Without the leaverage that this type of journalism provides we are helpless and in the dark. I prefer a transparent and open government as opposed to what is now being what seems to be closer to that of the old Communist Russia or The Communist party of China. The leaks are beyond important and necessary regardless the drama..rings on the penis or no..

[Nina Arnelli]

10:27 PM on 12/02/2010

Oh wow ..so original..another male comic resorting to a penis joke/metaphor to keep us from talking about a deeper issue. I think the leaks are extremely important in forcing the so-called powers that be to realize they DO have a watch dog. Checks and balances are in place for what? To check and balance perhaps? The media is surely not one we can depend on for this. Why is it that Americans are so willing to give up there rights to privacy but will kill the messenger when it comes to exposing the hypocrisy and underhanded corruption that is carried on daily like breathing in the international community? Why is it that so few get to decide the lives of so many and none of the many get to have any idea what is REALLY going on. People are sent to die, fraudulant governments set in place, and we all sit around and say.."I knew what was going on." It seems like we are burying our heads in the sand. I support Wikileaks and more power!

[MoreOptions]

07:45 AM on 12/03/2010

perhaps you miss the point that there is nothing we have learned about government activities, decisions, ambiguities that was not already known. This is nothing remotely close to, say, the Pentagon Papers. This has now just become a roadblock for serious people trying to do their job in a world filled with human nature. get over it.

[vorpalmusic]

11:00 AM on 12/03/2010

People like you are the roadblock. The Pentagon Papers could never have happened if the American people had fallen to such a state of apathy and subservience as you display. They would have been "discredited" too.

[ltague]

10:24 AM on 12/06/2010

EXACTLY ! Old news, juvenile gossip, useless info. Assange LOOKS like an adult, but I'm pretty sure he's only 12 yrs. old emotionally, trying to stroke his fragile, hurting ego. He's distracting people from the very real, very immediate crises that need immediate attention.

[Tidyus]

10:01 PM on 12/02/2010

Stewart, you and Assange are a little bit in the same business, revealing the truth, or as Assange put it once, miners of reality. You, of course, are very funny and so far your life has not been threatened. I dare say Assange's background was likely considerably different than yours. I think he has always felt threatened and that explains his combativeness. I doubt that you have felt much threatened beyond what a Jewish person might normally feel. I say this having three Jewish great-uncles burned to death as children in a fire someone deliberately set in Wisconsin. As you are the elder, I want you to be more understanding of what you term as Julian's 'drama'.

[Beatriz09]

08:32 PM on 12/02/2010

lol ... he's perfectly right.

[DetroitDraper]

07:15 PM on 12/02/2010

Yea so thats it. Im officially a "hater" of John Stewart. This brings your mind to the conclussion that many have already noticed, that even our freedom fighters are chosen by the same group that harms us... With the rally to restore and many other actions I became a fan and supporter of his but his denouncing the wikileaks as just gossip is ridiculous and shows me what side he's really on.

[Beatriz09]

08:32 PM on 12/02/2010

What's in those wikileaks that you didn't know already?

[vorpalmusic]

11:51 PM on 12/02/2010

I can tell you a lot of things in there that you didn't know before Wikileaks, because it was never reported anywhere before this:

- definitive proof of US support for the illegal coup in Honduras
- Obama personally strong-arming the governments of Germany and Spain to drop war crimes suits against Bush, in another case against US soldiers who had killed a Spanish reporter
- Clinton ordering people to spy on top UN Officials, including collecting their retinal scans, finger prints, passwords, credit card numbers, in violation of international treaty
- definitive evidence that the US is waging war in Pakistan without a declaration of war, and against the will of Pakistan
- that the US is waging war in Yemen without a declaration of war, and that that Yemen agreed to pretend it was not happening and take credit for the strikes for their own military
- evidence that the US had considered refuge camps as possible military targets, and that mercenary contractors had posed as human rights workers
- literally hundreds of thousands more documents have not yet been released. Are those just "gossip" too even though no one has seen them?

[Dr Rockzo]

07:03 PM on 12/02/2010

I really like Jon Stewart but it seems like he becomes less funny each year. 90% of the jokes he tells are really stupid, and they only seem funny since he has so much charm and charisma.

[ltague]

10:28 AM on 12/06/2010

In case you haven't noticed, our LIVES have become less funny these days. He still makes me laugh & God knows, at 59 years old, I need it !

[professor]

04:27 PM on 12/02/2010

I like Jon because he appeals to my natural common sense. I know what the right thing is. All I got to do is think what common sense is, and I know I'm right. All those people who do all that thinking, they ain't got no common sense, so I'm as good as them. I know he's right, because, well, it's just plain common sense.

[Nebris]

02:37 PM on 12/02/2010

I'm wearing sweats, so I don't have a fly. ;)

[EcnelisDoogod]

02:09 PM on 12/02/2010

I love jon stewart! Revealing the truth of these disclosures through comedy. Genius!!

[Hillbilly49]

11:07 AM on 12/02/2010

The leaks are no big deal but they do provide a new faux issue for Faux News.

[pammiethekid]

10:26 AM on 12/02/2010

Kudos for Stewart for calling this whole BS out.

[Theatrixnyc]

10:50 AM on 12/02/2010

Just another day working for the man...

[Catseyes]

09:23 AM on 12/02/2010

Why do you think Lieberman is so involved in this? Of course, everything he does is to protect the State of Israel. He wants nothing exposed about Israel and there's probably plenty. Lieberman is essentially an Israeli representative working within our government.