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Yesterday, "The Daily Show" and Rush Limbaugh ran with the same joke about the Obama cartoon.

Rush Limbaugh:

Obama and his team are upset over a cartoon on the cover of The New Yorker, a leftist publication, that makes him look like a Muslim, that makes his wife look like a terrorist Muslim, that has the American flag burning in the fireplace, under the portrait of Osama Bin Laden in the Oval Office. The Obama campaign and The Messiah himself were said to be very, very upset over this. Let me ask you a question. Who is it that gets upset over cartoons? Muslims. (Gasping) Dawn's in there saying, "He didn't say that." Yes, I did, I'll say it again. (laughing) I just love tweaking these people. Who is it that gets upset over stupid cartoons? Muslims, intolerant Muslims.

The "Daily Show" clip is 5:39 long ? and quite good all the way through ? but the relevant joke is at 3:10:

Obama's camp initially agreed that the cartoon was tasteless and offensive.' Really? You know what your response should have been? It's very easy. Here. Let me put the statement out for you: Barack Obama is in no way upset about the cartoon that depicts him as a Muslim extremist, because you know who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists! Of which Obama is not. It's just a #*!&ing cartoon!

Rush did it first. The "Daily Show" did it better, however. It was better to say "Muslim extremists" and not just "Muslims." Rush's joke has an added layer of Rushisms. He has to pause to call The New Yorker a "leftist publication." And he has to step back and find it amusing that he's so outrageous for saying what others will not dare to say. But basically, it's the same joke and a pretty good one.

ADDED: Maybe the 2 comedians ripped off Instapundit.

Full post as published by Althouse on July 16, 2008 (boomark / email).