Bill Maher and Jay Leno

UPDATE, February 10, 2009: Bill Maher and Jay Leno, February 10
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UPDATE, November 19, 2008: Bill Maher and Jay Leno, November 19
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UPDATE, October 7, 2008: Bill Maher and Jay Leno -- AGAIN
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(Screen grab/NBC)

Bill Maher was on The Tonight Show to hawk his new religion-bashing movie, Religulous, and the 6th season of his HBO show, Real Time.

You couldn't tell. Maher used the vast majority of his two segments to promote Barack Obama and bash Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and John McCain.

Yes, Bill Maher has endorsed Barack Obama.

That's not good news for Obama. He can put Maher's endorsement alongside the endorsement from Louis Farrakhan.

Whenever I see Maher with Leno, I think about the Fairness Doctrine.

Liberals are always whining about talk radio. No fair! WAAAH!

What about the likes of Maher?

I'm not calling for Maher to be silenced. Personally, I wish he'd go away, but he has the right to say what he wants. Leno can book him on the show and people can turn it off. Simple.

Free Speech. That's the way it works.

Back to the show--

Maher was his usual ugly self.

He just got back from the Democratic National Convention and he commented on the size of the Pepsi Center.

MAHER: It's a big place, that Pepsi Center. That's what is impressive about it. And him, about Obama, I'm talking about, because, apparently, he needs an even bigger place. The fact that this giant arena was not enough to hold him because he's giving his speech... where?

LENO: The Invesco Center...

MAHER: I don't know everything about politics. I do know show business. I know when you're filling stadiums that's good. You know, I mean, this guy (Obama) needs a stadium. He's like U2. And Hillary is like the Indigo Girls. McCain is a lounge act. He's in the ballroom at the Sheraton with the original Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Leno asked Maher about Hillary's speech. That set him up to deliver his Hillary jokes.

MAHER: If you hate Hillary Clinton, that is so on you. She's a bland centrist. If you hate her, those are your issues. You were molested by a real estate lady or something.

And by the way, speaking of which, that -- who dresses her? I mean, I don't usually, Jay, go all gay about, oh, what they're wearing. But, I mean at a big moment like that to wear that orange pantsuit, I didn't know whether she was giving a speech or saving a parking space. You know, I wore a suit like that once. I had a DUI and I was stabbing trash on the highway. Wow. I mean, for the biggest moment in your life that's what you pick? OK.

But I just, you know, I just think her problem is that America loves her as a victim. She's the Jennifer Aniston of American politics. Seriously. If only Bill Clinton had nailed "Ugly Betty" during the campaign, she would be standing up there right now accepting the Democratic nomination.

Maher got in a shot at McCain that did not go over well at all.

MAHER: Obama people today were saying she (Hillary) didn't mention him enough. She mentioned him 12 times. That's almost as many times as McCain says he was a prisoner of war.

Understandably, the audience squirmed at that comment, not a lot of laughter.

Leno moved it along and asked which candidate Maher was supporting.

LENO: Now let me ask you. I've always, I've known you to be a Libertarian. Are you supporting either one of these candidates?

MAHER: Well, obviously Obama!

Yes, obviously. After the commercial break, they talked about John Edwards, Maher's first choice for president.

Leno said that he was disgusted by the way Edwards talked about how much he loved his wife and how he made that a focal point of his campaign.

I remember Edwards being on the show once and him telling Leno about how he and Elizabeth would celebrate their wedding anniversary every year -- by going to Wendy's.

Leno said he dragged her out there and talked like he never looked at another woman and then he's dumb enough to not wear a condom.

MAHER: I'm just saying it's a shame we lost his message because he did have a good message, that there are two Americas, and in one of them he's single.

And the other dumb thing, of course, look, I'm not defending what he did. I'm just understanding it. I'm also saying, in America, like whether you want to admit this or not, people judge you when you cheat by how cute the girl is.

You know, when Bill Clinton cheated with Monica Lewinsky, people were like, 'Come on, man. JFK was getting Marilyn Monroe and you're with the chunky chick who brings in the mail.' I mean this is America...

But I mean, John Edwards was cheating with someone who looked like Garth from Wayne's World. I mean, and I'm telling you, like people, like Christie Brinkley's husband, you saw the girl he was cheating with. Oh, I saw that, I was like, 'Dude, you did the right thing.' Seriously.

When Maher says that, I believe him. I believe he would cheat and think of it as the "right thing."

And, of course, Maher had to throw in some "McCain is old" jokes.

MAHER: But you know the truth is, Jay, they all, every politician, whether you want to admit it or not, they all lie. They all cheat. They all steal. They steal from each other. You know, during the campaign, Hillary tried to make some political hay by saying that Barack Obama stole part of his speech from his friend the governor of Massachusetts, which was true. And then they found out that Hillary stole part of her speech from Bill Clinton, who got it from JFK, who got it from FDR, who got it from Lincoln... who got it from McCain.

Those old jokes are so clever, aren't they?

This appearance was a little different. Maher spread the hate around more than he usually does.

He actually spent more time making fun of Democrats than Republicans. If it wasn't more time, it was at least close to equal time.

Luckily, we were spared listening to him bash Catholics. Given his new movie, I'm surprised he didn't focus more on religion. He did take a little time to mock people who have faith, saying that he believes in doubt.

Leno said he saw the movie and called it "very good." He noted that if Maher made the movie in Iran, he'd be dead.

MAHER: I'm living proof, because they have tried to get me off the stage, that free speech is alive and well in this country.

Yes, it is.