When Jon Stewart announced his “Rally to Restore Sanity on the Mall” in support of a return to civility and moderation in politics, many, if not most, assumed that he would be hosting a boisterous, funny, pointedly partisan rally in favor of progressive policies, with the secondary objective of putting the Tea Party movement in its place—sitting in a corner wearing a dunce cap.

This would make Stewart a power player in national politics, the anti-Glenn Beck. It would also have removed all doubt that Stewart’s “The Daily Show” is not just a satirical show but a partisan one, and that he was much an ally of progressives, liberals and Democrats as Bill Maher. Disappointed and disillusioned with the state of the nation and the impending rejection of President Obama’s policies at the polls, young progressives in and out of the media and looked to the Stewart rally as a way to  reinvigorate a movement, perhaps in time to make a difference at the polls.

Jon Stewart, however, kept his word. He delivered a mostly non-partisan comedy-variety show that condemned excess, incivility and hate on the Right and the Left. It may not have been what Democrats needed, but it was what the country needed. Despite what must have been strong temptations to abandon the comedian’s “any deserving target, as long as it’s funny” credo—who knows? Stewart could become the next Al Franken!—he was true to his professional ideals and integrity.