Last night was special moment in "The Daily Show" For the first time ever, Jon Stewart had a two-fer, doubling our viewing pleasure with two guests. Who happened to be, oh, Woodward and Bernstein. Promoting a book on Watergate. Which turned absolutely on an anonymous source. Which is kind of, oh, ridiculously relevant right now (especially with Matt Cooper on every other channel!).

In honor of this event - and because we know you love it - we liveblogged the Daily Show last night, which diehards know runs tonight at 11:30. If you missed it, try and catch it tonight. It will still be funny. We switch tenses and faithfully reproduce jokes after the jump. Won't you join us?

We open with Jon crowing about the Woodward/Bernstein get and not knowing the Spanish word for "guest." That's about the only think he's not sure of; once again we see evidence of Jon the Crusader and indications that the show is moving more toward an even balance between laughs and issues. Tonight he balances a stingingly funny opener (definitely a little heavy-handed in places, reflecting the aforementioned crusaderism) with an absorbing second segment that is pretty much laugh free. It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because Jon's audience is with him, and he's got them excited about what's going on in the country just as much as he's got them excited for the next joke. After making a dated reference, he says "I'm the oldest man in the room." This is a punchline, but it's meaningful. Because it means he's engaging an audience that, but for him, might be watching TRL. (At least, I know I would be).

Okay! He kicks off with "Plame/Rove/Uranium...Whitewater-Gate" and zeroes in on Rove et al, with a nice then-now juxatposition. "For two years, the White House has been very clear: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby had nothing to do with the whole thing." Cue Cooper on "Meet The Press," affirming that Rove and Libby were two of his sources. Says Jon: "So, apparently for those two years, the other people were, uh, LYING!" Subtle. He rips a bit on Cooper for equivocating about what Rove's "I've said too much," might mean ("Coop. Don't puss out now, Coop"). Set-up to message:

"So - incontrovertible proof that the administration was dishoest about their role in this affair. Crime, not a crime - who cares! They were dishonest."

He said this on the last show and will probably say it again on the next show. He's learned a little something from the GOP. Nice follow-up with a nifty little lesson in Republican counterspin, courtesy of RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman (hello, Mehlman), who is shown repeating over and over that the latest information "exonerates and vindicates and does not implicate" Rove (JS: "It's good to know the
administration is beig reprsented by the late Johnny Cochrane") and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, whose winner argument dismissing the seriousness of the Plame leak is that "often the CIA classifies things as top secret that really don't need to be top secret." Yeah, thanks for that, buddy.

And then, be still my heart: it's the blessed union of a Canadian and an AWESOE MUISICAL THEATER PARODY! Samantha Bee sets up a brilliant bit based on "The Telephone Hour" from Bye Bye Birdy. I am compelled to transcribe it in its entirety, plus include a little aural lovin' (open in new window, natch):

Matt: (as geeky kid): Hello Mr. President, this is Matthew Cooper, can I speak to Karl Rove?
Rove (as woman in bubble bath): Did you hear about Joe?
Matt: He's a horrible guy!
Rove: He was sent by his wife
Matt: I hear she's a spy!
Rove: But it isn't a crime
Matt: Did you call her his wife?
Rove: Now go write it in Time!

Republican henchmen (as high school lettermen):
Hiya, Matthew! Off the record
Joseph Wilson slaughters cats!

Gang of Kids:
Is she a really a spy
(Oh, yeah)
Have you any remorse?
(Oh, no)

Matt:
I'm so happy you're my
Unattributed source!

All:
Going public, going public
Giving her name
Going public, going public
Gonna ruin Valerie Plame!
(She's screwed)(she's toast)

Concludes Samantha: "That's exactly how it happened Jon. Only in reality, the choreography was even gayer." I think I might have wept a little.

Commercial.

Check it out, it's Woodward and Bernstein! Desk is a little awkward for the seating, but the discussion is a lot more dynamic structured as a roundtable; the first example a clear advantage over the couch. (if you think you miss the couch, you ain't got nothin' on this guy). Jon makes a funny about seeing them back together; Woodward funnies back about their concert in Central Park. Is it me, or does Woodward sound a bit like a rabbi? Which is ironic seeing as Bernstein's the Jew.

And we're off and running. Jon hearkens back to the time of Watergate "30-some years ago: a government in love with secrecy; perhaps political machinations behind the scenes; abuse of power allegations; a cover up and... oh, how we come a long way."

"And secret sources," reminds Woodward. It may be his book but Bernstein has the real nuggets, all through the interview:

"This is about lying, it's about the Presiden and it's about the White House and, like it was about Haldeman and Erlichman, it's about Karl Rove. But it's ultimately about the President of the United States, his policies and whether he tells the truth." (I think Jon Stewart might have wept a little.)

"Now everything has become part of an ideological war. And more energy and thought is going into that ideological war against the Democrats particularly than into fighting terrorists." Yikes. I never thought of it that way but he certainly has a point. Invoking the notion of this 'ideological war' he puts his finger on what is so unsettling about how the Mehlman-bots jumped unequivocally to Rove's defense with nary an admission that it might look bad:

"The other real difference in Washington today is that Nixon was ultimately pushed out of office by Republicans. Republicans today will not separate from their president on important issues, on issues of conscience. And that's a big difference."

Well, asks Jon impatiently, will this all clear up soon? Woodward and Bernstein says that there's really no way of knowing. Bernstein notes that two threads are unspooling, to who knows where: One is the press - "they're sending reporters to jail with no idea of where that is going to lead" - and the notion of press freedom. The other leads to White House, and the murky origins of the Iraq war, and whether "trutful policy" was made around it.

Says Jon: "I can't believe we didn't get through all that in our eight-minute interview." Yeah, well, try retyping it Jon. You covered plenty.

Next up: Billy Bob Thornton. Yeah, we're tempted to skip it, too.