I was more impressed with how Jon Stewart recently received King Abdullah of Jordan in his show. And tried to find a reasonable discussion. Which seems rather easy with King Abdullah but him being jewish it's not a given I assume. And with Tony Blair he really tried to debate with Blair whether fighting the extremists doesn't give them too much power over society.
And he had Clinton on. And Carter. That's just in 2 weeks.
When I watch him I really get the feeling that he cares and that he's trying earnestly to influence the debate.
That's more vulnerable but to me also more powerful.
Colbert is quick witted and has tons of charisma and showmanship.
But it's just a character that he's been playing for years. You can't be earnest and ironically in character at the same time.

I think you can. I think they're both going for the angle that you can get more people to pay attention with some humor in the mix. And I think it works. The best humor comes from real feeling, IMO, and it lightens the mood while still delivering the message. People don't like being preached at or sold to, so they don't pay attention if they think someone's trying to convince them; the other side is using anger and emotional manipulation, inviting the listener to identify with them, rather than preaching at them. Well, I mean, that's my take anyway.

They are buddies but their style is entirely different. Stewart is more serious and wonky, and he aims to hold the mainstream media's feet to the fire. Colbert is playful, and his whole schtick is the frequent Daily Show motif of spoofing right wing craziness by having cast members advocate for the craziness. Colbert has now just assumed this personae of right wing nut a la Glen Beck.

I think Colbert tends too much toward silliness and froth to make watching him really rewarding on an ongoing basis. I think, though, that he appeals to people that find Stewart a little too heavy handed.

They both have a pretty definite contribution to make. And I do appreciate their upcoming combined October 30 event.