Bill Maher is clever intelligent and insightful. He can also be smug, condescending and obnoxious. His appearance on The Daily Show was humorous and thought provoking, but he often came so close to crossing the line of decorum that the audience may have miss his message. Not that he appears to care, but if people don’t watch or stay tuned in, you can’t educate them or even get them to consider your platform.  It’s ironic that as the election nears, Maher is riding the crest of his popularity among liberal audiences which would make him a perfect fit for The Daily Show’s studio audience, but at times as much as the crowed WANTED to be with him, the often rough time he game Stewart resulted in a palpable confusion in the audience.

Promoting his film Religilous, simply put, Maher even gave his host, a tough time. On several occasions, Stewart asked serious questions about religion and Maher shot him down, once just say NO! Not necessarily the wisest move as a talk show guest, even if it’s supposed to be funny.  There may be a bit of a battle going on here as Maher and Stewart jockey for the position as leader of the satirical political comedy kingdom. This could account for a slight unease displayed by Maher.

The other problem I had with Maher was that his spiel wasn’t new. He had set bits that he’s used on other shows verbatim. Again, a man this smart should be able to mix it up and offer a unique visit to every show. You need to make sure you do that. He of all people, being a talk show host himself should know better.