Comedy Central, the channel starring vulgar 3rd graders and crank calling puppets, isn’t the first name in news, but the Daily Show is the standard to measure the rest by.  Jon Stewart took over for Craig Kilborn in 1999, just in time for the 2000 election.  For the next eight years, the Daily Show provided the sharpest political and media commentary this side of Carlos Mencia.  Uber geek Jon Stewart became an icon for teens and college students, inspiring a generation to geek out over politics.