John Stewart, Colbert, Honor Boston After Bombings, Trash CNN for Arrest Confusion

It is difficult to understand how comedic political pundits Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert can humor a nation that only a couple of hours before was struck by tragedy. Even so, time and time again, the dynamic duo that is "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" prove forever patriotic and respectful of American sentiment. On this week's broadcasts of both shows, Stewart and Colbert expressed their solidarity with the people of Boston in two very different ways.

On April 15, explosions went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Monday was also the anniversary of the revolutionary battles of Lexington and Concord, observed by Massachusetts as Patriot's Day. In Colbert's address to his viewers regarding the attacks, he doubted that the assailants were aware of Boston's rich history: "whoever did this obviously did not know s**t about the people of Boston." He then traceed the city's origins chronologically. From the pilgrims who he describes as "people so tough, they had to buckle their god**mn hats on,"  to the "86-year losing streak" incurred by the Boston Red Sox, and finally, to the "Boston Marathon, an event celebrating people who run 26 miles on their day off until their nipples are raw for fun!" Comedic mental images aside, Colbert's run-down of Boston's history was intended to demean the national enemy as a school kid in need of a tutor.

Stewart's approach differed from Colbert's, with the host directing his commentaries on the attack in Boston not towards the foes, but towards the targets. He expressed gratitude for the manner in which the people of Boston have conducted themselves in the wake of such tragic circumstances. A New Yorker to the core, Jon Stewart could not defer to total flattery and referred to Boston as, "quite a little city you've got going on up there." Stewart's addendum to this quip directly refers to the age-old antagonism between Boston and New York City: "Often times the two cities are accusing each other of various levels of suck-itude. But it is in situations like this that we realize it is clearly a sibling rivalry and that we are your brothers and sisters." True to Stewart's sentiment, the projector outside of New York Yankee Stadium read "United We Stand" between the Yankees logo and the Boston Red Sox logo.

Stewart's milder take on Monday's explosions, as compared to Colbert's, was over by the beginning of the next episode. On Wednesday's show, Stewart raised an eyebrow towards the journalistic integrity of CNN. He mocked CNN's frequent self-praise for bringing their audience "exclusive" news of a suspect being held into custody. Stewart then gave CNN the benefit of the doubt: "Obviously because they've got the boots on the ground, and they can do reporting, as one of their competitors, I guess we just get a little jealous." Immediately after, Jon showed a clip where the CNN reporter admited that in fact, "federal law enforcement said anyone who says there's been an arrest, is ahead of themselves." Stewart spoke of how CNN's coverage of Boston was a disservice to their viewers because they were too busy trying to place the blame of their misinformation, on others.