If you have the attention span of a mosquito on espresso but still want to witness what will surely be the most historic moment in television since the night of the moon landing and the day Fonzie jumped that literal and metaphorical shark, Comedy Central has the cure.

The Daily Show will go live in their usual time slot on the day of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

For those of you who don't read the newspaper anymore, that's Tuesday, January 20. Don't worry, I had to Google the date too.

This live show will not only mark a historic day for the country, but also (and more importantly to this blog) an interesting beginning for Stewart and his Daily cronies. Whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, you have to admit that Stewart and company have had it pretty easy under the Bush administration. Things couldn't have gone easier for their writers if the show had taken place under Warren G. Harding's Teapot Dome Brewhaha (that's it's official name).

Conan O'Brien described Bill Clinton at the end of his last term as our nation's first "cartoon president", a guy who constantly found himself on the gravity end of a falling anvil but managed to come out clean and safe in preparation for the next pratfall. If Bill Clinton was Wyle E. Coyote to comedians, than Bush is Daffy Duck, the sometimes foul tempered, constantly frustrated president who screams "Duck season!" without realizing that his words could earn him a face full of buckshot.



It will be interesting to watch The Daily Show under an Obama presidency, starting with next week's live episode. Will they be able to produce the same biting level of satire under a popular president? Or does their highest caliber of comedy depend on cynicism, scandal and approval ratings that are lower than the talent standard required for an appearance on The Gong Show?