Excuse the hyperbole of the title - I know sitting behind a desk cracking jokes isn't the same thing as reporting from the field.

Nevertheless, I saw this on the Daily Show a couple of nights ago, and as happens most nights, was blown away at the level of candor that Stewart brings to the show, and prompts his guests to achieve.

Flash back to his amazing appearance on Crossfire a few years ago, and it seems like he (and Colbert) have taken their form of "reporting" more seriously than the folks who are Constitutionally charged/protected to keep us informed.    He does us a great service each  night by shaming the MSM - and making us laugh while doing it.   Why can't real journalists do their jobs as well?  And to those who argue ratings - my guess is that hard-nosed, unbiased TRUTH would bring astonishing ratings because of its sheer novelty.  'Course, it probably helps that Stewart isn't above dorm room humor...

Hi all -

With the middle part of the country completely under water, I have question for folks who know things about things (and unfortunately I realize I won't get much in the way of answers during the day, but I'll give'er a try anyway).

I was watching some video clips from the past few weeks, and one interview stood out - it was a woman in Indianapolis whose home took on 4 feet of water.  She said her family pretty much lost everything, and the interviewer asked her if her insurance company or FEMA had been out to see her yet.  She said the insurance company refused to come because she didn't have a flood policy - and she was angry because, she said, the bank and the insurance company discouraged her from obtaining flood insurance when she purchased the home.  Apparently she was told that area had never flooded in recorded history and therefore she'd be throwing money away to buy flood insurance.

Okay, so here are my questions (for those who know anything about insurance or flood insurance or FEMA):  1) If experts actively discouraged homeowners from purchasing flood insurance because an area "doesn't flood" - and then it does - isn't that enough to invoke the "acts of God" clause in a homeowner's policy?  It seems to me the floods in some of these areas are as random and unusual as tornadoes (I'm not including the river areas in this - I actually mean the dry areas in Indy).  2) What is FEMA's obligation to folks who didn't purchase flood insurance - are they limited in what they can do to help people?

Last:  Where are Bush and McCain while the Midwest is drowning?