"Obama beat a 48-term war hero Senator and his flag pin of a running-mate. Were you alive then?"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

On Wednesday night’s edition of “The Daily Show,” host Jon Stewart took a moment to address Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum’s remarks upon suspending his campaign and conceding the candidacy to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R).

The former Senator offered the usual words of thanks to family and staff, and then congratulated himself and the campaign, saying, “Miracle after miracle, this race was as improbable as any race as you’ll ever see for president.”

Stewart took exception to the notion that there was anything particularly unusual about a former U.S. Senator-turned-lobbyist who decides to make a bid for higher office.

“Really?” he asked, “Any race, ever?” He went on to remind Santorum that in 2008, “a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama beat a 48-term war hero Senator and his flag pin of a running-mate. Were you alive then?”

Watch the video, embedded via Comedy Central, below: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/12/stewart-to-santorum-youre-not-that-special/

[Lizzie Poppet]

2. 48 terms?

[Lawlbringer]

3. John McCain was a POW

in the Revolutionary War.

[Kaleva]

8. Can you name the President who actually was a POW?

I'm not trying to be snarky here but what you said reminded me of a little known fact. The question isn't directed at you specifically but to any and all who may read this.

[Arkana]

9. Was Bush the Elder a POW?

He's the only one I can think of.

[MADem]

13. When Babs wouldn't let him go golfing at the country club, I'm sure he felt like a POW...

No--he's the guy who bailed out of his plane and left the crew to die. He was picked up by a sub. There's film of it.

[Kaleva]

17. All three bailed out.

One crew member's chute didn't open and the other died in the battle (strafed by Japanese planes maybe?).

[MADem]

22. No. At least one went down with the plane. Bush was the only survivor.

This is Bush's account: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/bush-george/

On September 2, 1944, Bush's plane was shot down in a bombing run over the island of Chichi Jima, a key location for Japanese operations in the Pacific. Bush and one of his crewmen bailed out, but the other man's parachute never opened. The third crewman went down with the plane. Alone in the ocean off the coast of Chichi Jima, Bush was eventually rescued by an American submarine on patrol for downed pilots. More than 50 years later, Bush said the deaths of his two crewmen "still weigh heavy on my mind."

[Kaleva]

23. You are correct. Thanks!

[xtraxritical]

28. What a shame, was this before he had children?

[Kaleva]

15. His plane was shot down but he was never captured.

[RevStPatrick]

12. George Washington was a POW...

...during the French and Indian War, and Andrew Jackson was a POW when he was a kid during the Revolutionary War.

I don't know how I knew that...

[Kaleva]

16. I don't think Washington ever was a POW

Andrew Jackson was a POW during the Revolutionary War when he was a kid as you say.

[RevStPatrick]

19. He was captured by the French...

...but I don't think they held him for very long.

[Recursion]

24. Washington was a POW in the French & Indian war

He was paroled fairly quickly (that happened back then).

[Kaleva]

25. Yes. Read more about it and I was wrong.

[Recursion]

26. I work at Mount Vernon. We have a cool diorama about it (nt)

[Lizzie Poppet]

20. In fact I can.

"Old Hickory"

[LaurenG]

5. It was a joke. Stewart is a comedian...

[Lizzie Poppet]

6. I suspected so...

...which was why I also tried to make a little joke of my own with the /rolleyes emoticon.

[Recursion]

31. "it's not meant to be taken literally, dear...

... It refers to all manufacturers of dairy products."

[MADem]

11. The concepts of humor and satire are foreign to you? nt

[boxman15]

18. I'm pretty sure it was hyperbole.

It was a joke about McCain being old.

[Lizzie Poppet]

21. Yep, as stated above...

...that was my suspicion. I was trying to indicate that with my initial response and apparently failed miserably!

[Doc Holliday]

29. I believe

that is what is known as "hyperbole." And Jon Stewart does it very well.



(Or his writers.)

[lark]

4. K&R

Sending some love to Jon Stewart.

[zeemike]

7. "flag pin of a running mate"

What a great line...he is brilliant...and I guess much credit should also go to his writers.

[drlindaphd]

10. I love Jon Stewart

I'm from Pennsylvania. Santorum has always been a legend in his own mind!

[secondwind]

14. Perhaps Stewart meant 48 years in politics.

[Doc Holliday]

30. No, that's not plausible.

The audio was muddled.
Yeah, that's it....the audio was really muddled, 'cause Stewart was really sayin' "four to eight terms", not forty-eight.

Yeah....yeah, that's the ticket.

[calimary]

32. "The Pennsylvania Prude"! ROFL!!!

santorum the inspirational!