Can Garfield the cat make sense of the Middle East? Watch Jon Stewart try to find out

Does “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s love for Indiana writers know no end?

This week on the show, a frustrated Stewart responded to a clip of violence in the Middle East being described as “de-escalation through escalation,” comparing it to Newspeak.

“Or, as that is sometimes called… war!” he said. “Do you even hear yourself?”

“That phrase is right out of … Let's see if I can find it,” he said before pulling out a copy of George Orwell’s dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four.”

Unable to find the phrase for which he was searching in that book, he grabbed a copy of the anti-war novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut.

Stewart recently told a studio audience how much he revered Vonnegut’s work . But the comedian didn’t find the term he was seeking in the Vonnegut book, either. So he turned to another Indiana author's book: a compilation of Garfield comics by Jim Davis.

In addition to drawing the Garfield newspaper comic strip, Davis, who grew up in Fairmount, Indiana, and attended Ball State University, wrote and co-wrote Garfield TV specials and a series of direct-to-video feature films featuring the cat.

Others are reading: Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed?

Stewart appeared to get lost in the pages of “ Garfield Fat Cat 3 Pak,” smiling and commenting, “Oh my God, Jon. That cat has wreaked havoc on your bachelor lifestyle.”

“Although I do take issue with one of Garfield’s bromides… I happen to love Mondays,” said Stewart, who hosts the news satire on Mondays. “It’s the start — and end — and every workweek. Although, I hear Fridays are nice.”

Watch Jon Stewart seek Newspeak war terminology in Garfield book.

He starts discussing "de-escalation through escalation" at the 7:33 mark.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Can Garfield the cat make sense of the Middle East? Watch Jon Stewart try to find out