But there's a big difference between, say, reporting on a story and simply making up a story.

The pursuit of truth, properly considered, shouldn't stop short of insanity.

We imagine what this country is, but quite clearly, this country is a mystery. I mean, one of the reasons I did the election ads is, I thought I could learn something. Like, what the hell is going on? I think anybody - particularly a person of leftist persuasion such as myself - who stops and thinks even for a moment, realizes that something strange is going on and we don't quite get it.

But there's a big difference between, say, reporting on a story and simply making up a story.

You can't really trust anybody who doesn't talk a lot, because how would you know what they're thinking?

We have more information - a glut of information - than ever before, and perhaps less knowledge. That's what's peculiar. And the only way you can deal with it, I suppose, is to make fun of it. I would rather watch Comedy Central for the news than I'd like to watch any other program on television. Maybe that shows you the state of affairs.

It's so much easier to make a movie about someone who is so likeable that you just want to get out of the way.