While the networks droned on about polls and "Saturday Night Live" offered the same rewarmed "Hardball" sketches, "The Daily Show's" election coverage was so appealing, so extensive and so entertaining, devoted viewers tuned in every night for their regular dose of common sense therapy. In fact, the show was so sharp and funny night after night, sometimes it almost seemed too good to be true. And maybe it was -- the writers have set the bar so high, it would be nearly impossible for them to keep up this volume of big laughs indefinitely, particularly in the absence of election fodder. Then again, these hippie comedy freaks could be half as funny and it would still be funnier than 90 percent of the comedy out there. Rah rah, sis boom bah!

"Team America: World Police"
Who else but Trey Parker and Matt Stone would think to parody both "Top Gun"-style blockbusters and the war against terrorism in a movie populated by marionettes? "Team America" is the kind of over-the-top, inspired offensiveness that we've come to expect from Parker and Stone, but with a slightly more serious target. During the opening sequence, when the government agents of "Team America" blow up the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, then declare their mission a success, we get a brief glimpse of political satire as dark as we've seen since "Dr. Strangelove." Of course, there are also the jokes about blow jobs and the endless vomit scenes. But that's Parker and Stone -- just when they're tempted to send a message, they retreat into a "Beavis and Butthead" land of pratfalls and snickering.

Detractors might find them unnervingly crude and even irresponsible in their criticism of "get out the vote" campaigns, but to their fans, that freedom of movement between high comedy, cutting satire and the most juvenile jokes imaginable is exactly what makes Parker and Stone so unparalleled. After all, even William Shakespeare pandered to the basest tastes of the unwashed masses in the pit with crudeness and puns. Love it or hate it, "Team America" will stand as the most scathing snapshot of the absurdity of celebrity culture and inflammatory global politics in the year 2004. But that's not to leave out . . .

"South Park"
Since the folly, vice and stupidity of American life aren't limited to celebrity and politics, Parker and Stone set their sites on a fresh herd of slow-moving targets on their popular Comedy Central cartoon, "South Park." Look no further than their recent episode "Something Wal-Mart This Way Comes" to witness how these two have their finger on the psychology of American life. When the superstore comes to South Park, all of the small businesses go under and everyone agrees that it's ruining the town, but no one has the strength to resist the low prices and convenience. "Jesus, look at us!" one of the townspeople screams. "We all don't like the Wal-Mart, but we can't stop coming here!" Comparing the spread of corporate superstores to a "Body Snatchers"-style spread of evil was a brilliant move.

And in "The Passion of the Jew," the people of South Park inadvertently join a neo-Nazi movement led by Cartman that is only derailed when a stark raving lunatic named Mel Gibson rolls into town and makes everyone feel all dirty inside for liking his movie. But the most memorable episode of the year had to be "Douche and Turd," in which the kids of "South Park" were forced to choose between voting for a giant douche or a turd sandwich as their school's mascot -- facing the wrath of P. "Vote or Die" Diddy if they didn't. Whether or not you agree with their take on American politics, it's clear that Parker and Stone have led the charge in bringing courageously obnoxious material to the small screen.

"The Boondocks"
Cartoonist Aaron McGruder is everywhere lately, from the pages of the New Yorker to NPR's "Day to Day." His strip, "The Boondocks," gained a lot of attention in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, when many newspapers dropped it for criticizing the Bush administration. But McGruder's characters have continued to offer up some of the boldest, most outspoken humor on the otherwise safely comatose comic pages ever since. While McGruder has fondly blasted sitting ducks Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice out of the water, lately he's taking on the racism surrounding the brawl at a Detroit Pistons game. "So what? Ron Artest went after the wrong guy?!" says Huey Freeman, McGruder's forthright hero. "This is America! 'Round here, you get re-elected for doing #&@* like that!"

And if you think that's brutal, watch out when it's Huey's turn to say grace. "Ahem. In this time of war against Osama bin Laden and the oppressive Taliban regime, we are thankful that our leader isn't the spoiled son of a powerful politician from a wealthy oil family who is supported by religious fundamentalists, operates through clandestine organizations, has no respect for the democratic electoral process, bombs innocents, and uses war to deny people their civil liberties. Amen." Amen, indeed! It's nice to know that McGruder will consistently refuse to mute his anger to quell the critics -- which is why we're so anxious to catch a glimpse of his animated series, based on "The Boondocks," tentatively set to air on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup in the fall of 2005.

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