Donald Rumsfeld appeared on the Daily Show last night to promote his new book—and Jon Stewart had his fists raised, ready to challenge him on the Iraq war. But Stewart seemed unable to land a lethal blow, despite focusing on the administration’s attempts to “sell” the war, writes Colby Hall for Mediaite. Rumsfeld said the administration knew intelligence is “never perfect,” and agreed with Stewart that “there wasn’t much of a linkage” between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda.
The former defense secretary seemed “remarkably unfazed by the entire procedure, a stark contrast to the evil bogeyman blowhard as he’s been portrayed on the left,” Hall notes. “I feel like we’re just sitting on a porch now, sipping lemonade,” Stewart told Rumsfeld. Later, the New York Times notes, Rumsfeld posted to Twitter: “Just wrapped up one of the most thoughtful interviews of book tour with @thedailyshow.” (Click for more from Stewart.)