Apple’s CEO published a long (and probably compelling) letter today explaining why the iPhone and iPad don’t and apparently won’t deal with Flash, the Adobe format often used for Web video, animations and interactive games and graphics.

The decision demonstrates Apple’s power to change the nature of the Internet — and kill a format, though it’s not totally for sure Flash will die, insofar as it hasn’t happened yet.

The absence of Flash on the Apple devices — and the implications of this absence — didn’t go unnoticed. Slate’s Farhad Manjoo asked a few months ago if the iPad would kill Flash.

Earlier in the week and unrelated to the Flash issue, Jon Stewart said Microsoft was supposed to be the evil one, but now Apple is the too-powerful bad guy (for backing a police search of a blogger’s home) while Bill Gates of Microsoft is saving the world. Here’s the (Flash) video:

[Update: Maybe Jobs can't initiate the demise of Flash after all. FTC and Justice Dept weigh antitrust inquiry.]