Stewart knocks media, political class at D.C. rally

Jon Stewart made the case for sanity; Stephen Colbert argued for fear. And for most of Saturday's joint rally, the Comedy Central hosts played their parts—the reasonable, liberal talk show host and faux right-wing cable news blowhard. It seemed like an extended live version of "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."

But Stewart got serious in the final minutes, criticizing the political and media establishment for turning a magnifying glass on minor differences instead of what binds people together. Stewart, a cable host himself, routinely skewers the press on the "The Daily Show" and singled out the media for extended criticism during his closing statement. "If we amplify everything," he told those who flocked to the National Mall in Washington D.C., "we hear nothing."

You can watch Stewart's speech in full below:

"The country's 24-hour-politico-pundit-perpetual panic-conflictinator did not cause our problems," Stewart said. "But its existence makes solving them that much harder."

Stewart, continuing on that theme, said that "we hear every damn day about how fragile our country is" or that there's "polarizing hate," and that "it's a shame we can't work together to get things done."

"The truth is, we do," he said. "We work together to get things done every damn day," Stewart said. "The only place we don't is here"—meaning Washington D.C.—"or on cable TV. But Americans don't live here or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done, not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done."

In a press conference after the rally, Stewart batted down recent media chatter about his role—whether as an entertainer, a media critic, a political activist, or something else altogether.

"I don't know what it accomplished," Stewart said when asked about the media impact of the event. "But I'm sure we'll find out." He told another journalist he "couldn't care" what's written about him, and brushed off questions about whether people should vote and his show's influence in Washington politics. "Our currency is not this town's currency," Stewart said.

Stewart has an ongoing gripe with the media and political establishment—as was evident late in the afternoon and in the post-rally press conference. But most of the "Rally to Restore Sanity And / Or Fear" was much more lighthearted, with the two hosts playing off one another throughout.

Click image to see photos from the rally

Reuters/Jim Bourg

Stewart and Colbert debated sanity vs. fear during a segment called "Formidable Opponent," with Colbert saying that "every point must have a counterpoint—that is physics."

They also acted in a skit about which musical act best expresses the rally's theme.

After Stewart brought out Yusuf Islam—formerly known as Cat Stevens—to sing "Peace Train," Colbert burst in with special guest Ozzy Osbourne to overpower the folk singer with his classic, "Crazy Train." The two hosts kept interrupting until Islam and Osbourne left the stage arm-in-arm and a compromise was struck: The O'Jay's "Love Train."

There were other gags, including awards for reasonableness—Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga for his graceful handling of a blown umpiring call that ruined his perfect game—and for fear, with news organizations getting recognition for warning staff not to attend the rally because they might be perceived as partisan. (Colbert gave the award to a seven-year-old girl since news outlets were scared to come). The Roots warmed up the crowed and musicians Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, and Jeff Tweedy also hit the stage throughout the day.

Organizers estimated that 250,000 people attended the event, but there is not going to be any official estimate since the parks service no longer does their own tallies. CBS News hired aerial photography experts to do an independent count and reported a crowd size of 215,000. That's quite a bit more than the 87,000 CBS estimate from Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in August.

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(Photo: AP/ Carolyn Kaster)