Dennis Miller: More Laughable As Comedian or Pundit?

Last night, Dennis Miller was on the Daily Show and Jon Stewart asked him if sometimes he woke up late at night in a cold sweat wondering if he "got on the wrong horse." This was a very diplomatic way of asking why Miller got on his self-described libertarian high horse (translation: right-wing horse). Miller diffused the question with humor, and for the first time since the 1990s, I was entertained by him.

It got me to thinking about why he went wrong, around 2000 or so, after being funny for so many years. His embarrassing Monday Night Football stint aside, Miller went wrong not because he hung his hat on political commentary, but because he betrayed his comedic roots. He spent twenty years being a comedian then tried to reinvent himself as a legitimate pundit. And like most pundits, he conjured more laughability than laughs. Miller's low point was when he launched a pubilc affairs talk show on CNBC in 2004, which couldn't have been less comedic even when he was trying. But he rarely tried. Instead, he tried to be a high-brow informer and the show lasted just over a year.

My theory is that he looked at how Bill Maher parlayed his political comedy into credible political punditry. The thing Miller missed is that Maher, for however serious he has been on Politically Incorrect and Real Time, knows he's a comedian at the core. He's quiet about it because appearing on cable news shows as a pundit is good for his bank account. But he ultimately knows that comedy brings home the thickest bacon, the finest hookers and the kindest weed. If he didn't know, why would he joke about hookers and weed all the time? What true pundit would, or could?

Stewart and his Comedy Central ilk have known the answers to these questions for years. They're so successful because they are true to only one thing: the joke. Stewart, Colbert and producer Ben Karlin have made this public record in countless interviews. Sure, there's political bias in their material, but even with new White House or Capitol Hill occupants, they would still thrive -- because it's not about punditry nor bias. It's about the joke.

Miller was truly a joke last time he was on The Daily Show (about a year ago) because he was on a comedy show trying sell himself as a pundit. Many episodes like that made Miller a guy I love to hate in recent years, but I will admit, there was a time he was one of my favorite comedians. At least last night, he showed a few signs that he's still loyal to the laugh.