On Tuesday night Vice President Joe Biden was greeted on The Daily Show with the studied bows of the show's venerable host. Although Biden has appeared on the greatest fake news show as a Senator, this is his first time as the sitting Vice President of the United States. Despite the fact that The Daily Show is one of the most respected venues in all of television, Jon Stewart, charmingly, still appears to be awed by the fact that senior American government officials appear on the program.

The conversation, though at times irreverent, was quite informative. Topics ranged from the wonky -- transparency and accountability to recovery spending, unemployment, health care -- to the ridiculous. Biden's major addition to the ticket is the fact that he comes across as a regular guy from Scranton that just happens to have decades of experience in government. With that in mind, The Daily Show was a good place for him to appear, particularly as the President's approval ratings are for the first time below 50%.

While Biden may not be Hillary Clinton -- who still might run in 2016, fingers crossed -- it was interesting to hear his take on the banks (see above). Could you imagine Dick Cheney, or, for that matter Al Gore, coming on such a show and revealing a sense of humor when discussing serious topics of public policy?