The subject of the segment on Monday's episode of the popular mock TV news program was South Carolina's peculiar institution the mini-bottle.

Cotty is the author of this year's attempt to do away with mini-bottles.

Filmed two weeks ago, "Daily Show" correspondent Samantha Bee gave Cotty a hard time for trying to change the state's constitution.

"The founding fathers obviously wanted mini-bottles," she said sarcastically.

Cotty reminded Bee that the state's mini-bottle law is only about 30 years old.

Also making an appearance during the segment was downtown Charleston's Big John's Tavern, where Bee ended her segment by trashing men and pretending to be wasted after knocking back a few of the state's incredibly strong drinks.

On Tuesday, Cotty said he is a fan of "The Daily Show." That's why he agreed to do the segment.

"I knew they were going to ridicule South Carolina for using mini-bottles, and that's OK," he said. "They should. It's silly and outdated."

The House member was a little worried though. "The Daily Show" worked for hours on the piece, shooting way more film than made TV.

"You should see some of the stuff she said to me that didn't make the cut," he said.

OUCH!

During Tuesday's weekly Republican Caucus meeting, House Majority Leader Rick Quinn, R-Columbia, reminded fellow House members that he would be attending a roast of Gov. Mark Sanford later in the evening. Asked about his material, Quinn said he was thinking of doing a top 10 list of reasons to pass the governor's legislation.

Said Speaker of the House David Wilkins, R-Greenville, "When you get it, send it to me 'cause I'd like to know."

SPEAKING OF THE ROAST

The Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America held the good-natured roast of the governor Tuesday. Tom Davis, Sanford's co-chief of staff, roasted his boss with a collection of translations for Sanfordese, those little sayings the governor uses and what exactly they mean. A few highlights:

-- Sanford saying: "I would simply say this ..."

Translation: "Give me just a second to figure out where I am and what I'm supposed to be talking about."

-- Sanford saying: "But I would also say this..."

Translation: "I'm about to tell a roomful of reporters something I've never told anyone on my staff."

-- Sanford saying: "I've got a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of South Carolina."

Translation: "Your bill is about to be vetoed."

-- Sanford Saying: "Can I borrow you for two seconds?"

Translation: "I'm about to ruin the rest of your day with a monumentally important and time-consuming task that will determine the future of my entire administration."

FOR THE COMMON MAN

Eyebrows were raised Wednesday when Sen. John Kuhn, R-Charleston, took time during the Senate's budget debate to film a campaign commercial.

Kuhn is in a tough race for the Senate, facing Charleston City Councilman Henry Fishburne and former state Rep. Chip Campsen. The filming took just a few minutes but left many senators scratching their heads.

"Can you believe that?" said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston. "I've never heard of anything like that."

Later in the day Sen. Bill Branton, R-Summerville, poked fun at Kuhn from the Senate floor, saying the senator had left the chamber and was probably running back to Charleston to campaign.

Kuhn was actually still in the chamber. An agitated Kuhn approached the podium and told Branton that he had been in the chamber all along.

After Branton left the floor, he tried to apologize to Kuhn. Security intervened before the confrontation could get physical.

Too bad. If the cameras had been rolling, it would have been perfect for a campaign commercial. "John Kuhn. Fighting for the common man -- sometimes literally."

However, Kuhn stayed through the budget debate early Saturday morning, causing him to lose $1,600 that he had paid on the campaign shoot. He was scheduled to shoot additional footage in Charleston. Many senators did not stay for the entire budget debate.

PEARLSTINE RETIREMENT

Edwin Pearlstine, a Charleston-area beer distributor and part-owner of the Charleston Stingrays ice hockey team, is ending his term on the Retirement Systems Investment Panel.

Pearlstine, a Charleston native, retired in 1998 as the owner and president of Pearlstine Distributors Inc., a wholesale beverage distribution company serving the Charleston, Beaufort, and Hilton Head Island areas.

Founded in 1865 by his great-grandfather, the distributorship began as a rural-area general store and now employs more than 180 people.

Appointed by former Gov. Jim Hodges, Pearlstine was the first chairman of the panel, which launched South Carolina's first investment in stocks in more than a century. He was among a group of folks from S.C. government who rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 1999, to mark the state's initial investment of about $900 million.

The market dipped a lot during his first few years, but Pearlstine is retiring on a high note. The stock portfolio is up $1.6 billion this fiscal year to more than $10 billion.

At the board meeting Tuesday, Sanford said he had begged Pearlstine to stay on, but Pearlstine said he wants to go fishing instead.

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