Rachel Maddow and Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Rachel Maddow has few, if any, intellectual equals in the mainstream US news media. Unlike most of her colleagues, she's incredibly well-informed and shows a clear passion for the nuances of many stories. She's criticized by many on the other end of the political spectrum for being part of the "liberal media elite," but her reasoned approach to the health care bill that passed earlier this year makes it difficult to provide much of a counter-argument. What makes this story much more powerful is the passion with which Rep. Anthony Weiner presented his arguments for the bill in front of Congress. In the last iteration of his speech, notice how he changes the way he presents his case in order to get his message across: