Jon Stewart puzzles through how the Bowe Bergdahl story turned from great news to Fox News fodder

If you're wondering how, in three short days, the rescue of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last known American P.O.W., went from "a magnificent, wonderful story" to a "complicated, clouded, controversial" political football, Jon Stewart doesn't have any pat answers. But on Tuesday night's Daily Show, he had an idea. First, Stewart walked through the story, starting with the surprise swap of Bergdahl for five senior Taliban members, then adding on the onion-layers of criticism.

He didn't exactly apportion blame for the story's descent into controversy, but he did throw some sharp elbows at Fox News and the White House. So how did this "clear-cut story of American heroism in a war get complicated?" Stewart asked, finally. "Oh, right, it's a war." As far as explanations go, that'll have to do. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.