Come See Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly And The $16 Muffins

Well, this was just . . . surreal.

Had Tucker Carlson handled himself with composure and wit like this when Jon Stewart faced him down in 2004, Carlson might still have a job. This must be the antithesis of what Stewart talked about on that fateful episode of "Crossfire" when he likened referring to most talking-head cable news shows as "debate" to referring to professional wrestling as "athletic competition."

Contentious Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly dropped by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" recently with a new book hitting shelves, called "Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever." Sadly, the new tome got only a brief discussion, consisting mostly of Stewart pointing out a certain - *ahem* - unfortunate juxtaposition of title and author on the cover.

But after that, the normally cantankerous O'Reilly - who's more than a little bit notorious for not letting his "The O'Reilly Factor" guests finish a complete sentence uninterrupted - actually matched the unflappable Stewart zinger-for-zinger in a six-minute back-and-forth debate over American tax policy and its fairness (or lack thereof, whichever side you choose) to America's most wealthy.

Narry a chair was swung that night. Nor a suplex or bodyslam delivered.

Watch for yourself, and take careful notes, class. O'Reilly's Unified Theory of $16 Muffins will be on the test....