Yes, we'll all miss Jon Stewart, but what about Brian Williams?

Not many red state political buffs may miss Jon Stewart, who announced Tuesday that he was leaving "The Daily Show" after 15 years, but they should.

Yes, he took a decidedly left-wing view of current events, but there was no question what he thought about issues as they arose.

Love him or hate him, you at least knew where he stood, a refreshing stance in today's spin-heavy news environment, when he declared that something was (bleep bleep) you at least had to take his opinion into account while forming your own.

That's the goal of this page, raising important issues, cultivating original thought, putting minds to work in solving problems.

Yes, we know the basics of any given news story, but we don't really know what to think until someone like Jon Stewart, or the late Paul Harvey added their two cents.

Unlike other late-night talk shows, the Daily Show's "fake news" takes a side that forces us to take one of our own.

Some of that role was fulfilled by other late-night shows, but most of them are deliberately balanced so as not to alienate important segments of the target demographic. Argus Hamilton, whose late night-type column graces this page, told us as much; for every dig at the Democrats, there'll be another zinger directed at the Republicans.

We don't know who will take over the Daily Show after Jon Stewart leaves, but we do hope the venue will continue to provide a platform for civilized discussion of contentious issues.

We were glad Stewart was still around to comment on the suspension of Brian Williams, who admits embellishing a story about a helicopter downing while he was in Iraq 12 years ago.

Williams is certainly not the first to embellish a war story, but he is paid $10 million a year to avoid just that kind of shortcoming, pay he won't receive for at least the next six months while he is suspended.

It's hard not to be sympathetic with the NBC anchor, who had good intentions in the latest faulty retelling, building up one of the servicemen who protected his news crew while their helicopters were grounded by a sand storm.

It's also hard not to contrast Williams' position because of this incident, which may end his news career, with that of President Bill Clinton and possible future president Hillary Clinton, whose list of lies and questionable statements couldn't be reprinted on this page in 6-point type. It's a mystery how the Clintons have somehow remained a viable political force in America.

If Brian Williams never regains the anchor desk, it will be understandable decision by his bosses at NBC, but disproportionate to his offense, in our view.

He deserves another chance to regain the viewers' trust.