Gov. Kaine makes appearance on 'The Daily Show'

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine flashed a self-deprecating sense of humor during his appearance on an episode of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" that was broadcast late Tuesday night, joking about the vice presidential vetting process and a facial feature he has become know for.

Stewart, host of the Comedy Central program that offers a humorous take on current affairs, asked the governor about his experience as a finalist to be Barack Obama's vice presidential nominee.

"It's intense," Kaine replied.

"I mean, people know a lot of things about me that I never thought I'd reveal. They really go into detail," he continuted, noting that questioners want to know "your high school girlfriend's middle name, and then you give a name and then they come back and tell you she said she was never your girlfriend."

Stewart responded by jokingly comparing the selection process to a reality show elimination ceremony.

"Does Senator Obama give each person a rose that goes on to the next round?," the host wondered.

"It's very mysterious. It's probably something like at the Vatican with smoke," Kaine, a Catholic, replied to Stewart's question about how vice presidential candidates advance.

Kaine's segment on the show clocked in at just under four minutes and was shown near the end of the half-hour program that aired at 11 p.m.

The taped program - Kaine's segment was recorded earlier Tuesday - was broadcast as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton was delivering a speech on the convention floor.

At another point in the interview, when Stewart rattled off the names of other vice presidential candidates who had been considered like Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and the eventual nominee, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, Kaine chimed in with the name of television personality Ed McMahon, drawing laughs from the studio audience.

As he has done in other interviews since Biden was picked, the governor praised the running mate chosen by Obama, and said he was flattered to be considered.

When Stewart probed Kaine about a future job in a potential Obama administration, the governor said he will "figure it out" when his term ends in January 2010.

The interview ended as Kaine presented Stewart with a button being distributed by the governor's political action committee. The round orange button looks like a typical smiley face with one distinct difference: It depicts Kaine "uncontrollable left eyebrow" raised quizzically.

Kaine has taken some ribbing in political circles because that eyebrow sometimes twitches when he makes television appearances.

The show will be rebroadcast this evening.