Bush Passes On Jokes At Media Dinner

Impersonator Rich Little Delivers Tamer Material At White House Correspondents' Dinner

(AP)  President Bush, deferring to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, passed up any attempt to be funny at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday, leaving those efforts to impersonator Rich Little.

Returning to the podium at the annual dinner after 23 years, Little made good on his promise to be gentle.

Little's material was safe if occasionally a little raunchy. He dusted off his impersonations of six presidents, from Nixon to the current occupant of the White House, and avoided any reference to current political issues.

After one joke bombed, he said, "And you thought (Stephen) Colbert was bad."

Best known for his impersonations of Richard Nixon and Johnny Carson, Rich was the featured act for the glitzy dinner with Bush, Cabinet secretaries, foreign dignitaries, Hollywood celebrities and members of the press.

Unlike previous comedians at the dinner, he had no competition from Bush, who at times has shown a deft comedic touch himself in his annual monologue.

President Bush said it was important for people in Washington "to learn to laugh" and that the ability for a nation to poke fun at its leaders is good for democracy.

"I was looking forward to doing a little poking myself but in light of this tragedy at Virginia Tech I decided not to be funny," he said.

He noted that many journalists in the room have had a tough week, reporting from Virginia Tech and said "this dinner comes at a good time."

With that, he introduced Little for the laughs.

Little said in advance that both Republicans and Democrats should watch out for gentle jokes at their expense during the correspondents' dinner, an annual tradition started by President Calvin Coolidge.

"I'll do a few jokes on the Democrats, a few jokes on the Republicans," he said in a phone interview. "I'm probably not quite as controversial as certain comedians like Colbert."

Last year, Colbert, host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," lampooned the administration and the Washington press corps as Bush looked on unamused amid a crowd's laughter that was nervous at times.

"With Bush, I'm going to be doing nothing that tough, mostly the fact that he can't talk sometimes, he gets all tangled up," Little said. "The sillier the better."

Before Mr. Bush and Little spoke, CBS star David Letterman made a video appearance from his studio with a top 10 list of taped vignettes showing some of the funniest presidential flubs of the past year.

Colbert was a hit with the general public — a YouTube video of his performance last year was viewed 2.7 million times in less than 48 hours — and liberal bloggers have expressed anger over the decision to have such an innocuous entertainer.

Among the guests at the People Magazine table was Sanjaya Malakar, the "American Idol" finalist who became famous for his hair despite singing that got mixed reviews. He was voted off the show Tuesday night.

More traditional celebrities on the correspondents' dinner guest list included country stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, singer Sheryl Crow, actor John Cusack, actress Mary Tyler Moore and comic Larry David.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who has suffered a recurrence of cancer, got a warm reception when he joined Bush at the head table. He promised to return to the White House briefing podium soon for more jousting with the press corps. "We'll have that entertainment again, trust me," he said.

Washington heavyweights invited by various news outlets included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and CIA director Michael Hayden. Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who has faced down calls for his resignation this week from fellow Republicans, was also expected, as was Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader who has been dogged by money laundering charges.

The association presented a $5,000 check to the Virginia Tech student paper to help its coverage in the aftermath of the massacre there last Monday.

"It meant a lot to the whole student body," said Amie Steele, editor of the Collegiate Times.

Half the crowd chanted "Let's Go" and the other half changed "Hokies." Then they joined in a standing ovation.

The association also was presenting its top reporting awards, announced earlier this month:

David Sanger of the New York Times and Martha Raddatz of ABC News, the Merriman Smith Award, the top journalism award for White House reporting under deadline pressure.

Sanger was recognized for his report on North Korea's nuclear test. Raddatz won for her coverage of the death of al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Kenneth Walsh of U.S. News and World Report, the Aldo Beckman award for an in-depth look at Vice President Dick Cheney's place in the administration. The award is given for repeated excellence in White House reporting.

Joan Ryan of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Edgar A. Poe Award for a series on Iraq war veterans with missing limbs. The Poe award recognizes excellence in news of national and regional importance.

The association was established in 1914 as a bridge between the press corps and the White House. The current president is Steve Scully of C-SPAN.

[jdubs63]

Please Everyone....RESPECT... Mr. Bush is our President and someone out there voted for him.

[down-ndirty]

"...Bush, according to his empirically tested IQ with the National Guard is not functionally retarded. His IQ is a few points above the threshhold." Posted by boondoggler7 at 07:10 AM : Apr 23, 2007

What, exactly, did he test with the Texas Air National Guard? According to "The Bushes - Portrait of a Dynasty" he placed in the 25th percentile (page 192) for pilot aptitude, yet he was still allowed in the unit, in spite of a waiting list of over 100 VIETNAM VETERANS.

That places a BIG "?" over any intelligence credibility that Bush might have.

In addition, ADD runs in the family. That's discussed in the book and it's very obvious in the fact that he doesn't read books or long reports, and he doesn't speak very well.

[forthepeopl1]

THANKS ICE, I THOUGHT THAT BUT WANTED TO HAVE SOMEONE ELTO; the President,v.p.***,and congress

1.) CAN ANY OF YOU TELL ME AND THE ENTIRE WORLD THIS, WHAT IS THE DATE THAT CONGRESS SIGN AND DECLARED WAR!!! ON THIS NATION OF IRAQ????.

2.) CONGRESS, NOT THE PRESIDENT OR ANY OTHER WHITEHOUSE MOUSE CAN DECLARE WAR ON ANYOTHER COUNTRY OR NATION.THIS IS IN OUR CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND YES WHITEHOUSE THE CONSTITUTION IS OUR COUNTRY%u2019S LAWS, IT ISN%u2019T JUST A PIECE OF PAPER AS THE PRESIDENT STATED%u2026..

3.) WHAT GIVE ANY OF YOU IN WASHINGTON THE RIGHT TO HAVE ANY OF OUR TROOPS IN ARMS WAY OF ANOTHER COUNTRY%u2019S CIVIL WAR???????? PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS TO ALL THE FAMILYS OF OUR TROOPS.

4.) WHAT GIVES THE WHITEHOUSE AND ALL ITS STAFF THE RIGHT TO LIE TO AMERICA????. THIS IS AMERICA ISN%u2019T IT?? THERE IS LAWS THEY STILL HAVE TO FOLLOW

6.) WHO AND WHAT GIVES CONGRESS AND ANYONE IN THE WHITEHOUSE STAFF INCLUDING the president,v.p.***,rumsfeld,AND rove the right to not be prosecuted for not obeying our CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

7.) I BELIEVE IT WILL TAKE A UNITED REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY TO SET OUR COUNTRY BACK ON COURSE. WITH THE WILL OF THIS COUNTRY ON MY SIDE WE THE PEOPLE WILL WIN OUR COUNTRY BACK.

8.) THANK YOU AND GOD BLASS YOU ALL DAVID A BELANGER,VET,U.S.ARMY.

9.) [e-mail]

[oxmyx-2009]

A joke's joke. That would have been redundant.

[realpatriot1]

No, Bush's father didn't sit in the smoke-filled room with the Nazis. Grndpa did that. Daddy sat in the smoke-filled room in Paris with the Iraniians holding our hostages. The pilot who flew him there has said he was there. His appointment book for the week was left blank when he was running for Vice President. I know that doesn't prove anything to BidDadBushLover,but it raises questions to a reasonable person. Questions that daddy won't answer.

[lukebize]

"After one joke bombed, [Rich Little] said, 'And you thought (Stephen) Colbert was bad.'"

Actually, I think Colbert's humor runs circles around Little's.

Colbert's news reporting run circles around the mainstream media's as well. No wonder they didn't like his schtick; he exposed their little journalism-school hogwash for what it is: hogwash, hardly fit to wrap garbage.


U.S media, denial is not just a river in Egypt. No wonder so many readers now get their serious news from Al-Jazeera.

[iceman_1960]

"can anyone on her tell me this: WHEN DID CONGRESS DECARE WAR ON IRAQ.....????????????"
- Posted by forthepeopl1 at 07:33 AM : Apr 23, 2007

It didn't. It passed an authorization to use force.

The Spanish-American War began with a Congressional authorization to use force, followed shortly by a formal Declaration of War. They are not the same thing, no matter what Joe Biden says about it.

Any thinking person knows that a Congressional authorization to use force should only cover a very short term, emergency use of force. A few weeks at most.

When it drags on into months, at that point both common sense and the Constitution require that either a formal Declaration of War be made by Congress, or the military action be terminated.

The First Gulf War lasted half a year and was a violation of this principle. The Balkans action was also a violation, but at least that was over in four months, with no American combat deaths.

JFK, LBJ and Nixon in Vietnam were egregious examples.

If Bush were to be impeached and convicted over this fiasco (and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy), future Presidents would act in a more sober and restrained manner. And the Founding Fathers would approve of that.

[forthepeopl1]

can anyone on her tell me this: WHEN DID CONGRESS DECARE WAR ON IRAQ.....????????????

[boondoggler7]

BIGDADBIGMOUTH
The idiot confessed on national television that he had ordered communications surveillance by executive order that was conducted outside the framework of FISA and without any sort of judicial review because FISA was too slow. By the way FISA allowed surveillance to start instantly, proving the idiocy contention. There's a crime for you, with confirmation of his stupidity thrown in for free. There are more lies than you want to read.

How dare you insult idiots. Idiocy is a clinical form of mental retardation. Bush, according to his empirically tested IQ with the National Guard is not functionally retarded. His IQ is a few points above the threshhold.

[dallison7]

"I was looking forward to doing a little poking myself but in light of this tragedy at Virginia Tech I decided not to be funny," he said.



Surely this monkey can't believe that he can stand in front of a camera and 'not look funny'!!!!

LMAO!!

[iceman_1960]

"Might15, the enemy is killing our troops, not Bush." - Posted by dhadaway at 09:37 PM : Apr 22, 2007

What an observation.

"Brownie" should have tried that one.

"Katrina did all the damage, not me."

Or the Captain of the Titanic: "It was the iceberg that sank the ship. Blame the iceberg."

[firststate]

BIGDADBIGMOUTH
The idiot confessed on national television that he had ordered communications surveillance by executive order that was conducted outside the framework of FISA and without any sort of judicial review because FISA was too slow. By the way FISA allowed surveillance to start instantly, proving the idiocy contention. There's a crime for you, with confirmation of his stupidity thrown in for free. There are more lies than you want to read.

[firststate]

Along with trying to restore our democratic republic, we must face the threat of militant Islam. We need to address both the nature of the threat and the results of our cowboy-in-chief and his diplomatic ***, Condeliar. The harm they%u2019ve inflicted isn%u2019t fatal, but it%u2019s going to require rethinking, or original thought about the threat and effective solutions. DickNBush haven't been perfect idiots, nobody%u2019s perfect, but after starting in Afghanistan, taking the fight to our attackers, our policy went nuts. Bush%u2019s %u201Cdaddy%u201D issues or worrying about the size of his, er boots or something took over and our policies actually turned against us when we invaded Iraq. We can%u2019t unring that bell, but we need to try to stabilize our mess. Sticking the nation%u2019s metaphorical tongue out at our adversaries isn%u2019t diplomacy. We need to work with Iraqi neighbors who'll lose most from a failed Iraq to get it under control. A regional summit is one hope and a main goal has to be getting US troops out of Iraq. Our forces are too much of the problem to be part of the solution. We got to battle militant Islam, but we've got to be smart. Shooting from the hip, ala John Wayne is good TV but **** poor diplomacy. We can use the carrot and the stick and wind up ahead. We have to use every tool, including gasp, diplomacy.

[randalds]

Do I think Bush sits around thinking...about anything? LOL!! It's a well-known fact he doesn't read much; he probably doesn't think much either. What was the name of his favorite childhood? You know? The one written AFTER he was graduated from Yale? LOL!!

dhadaway, you didn't tell us what YOUR DD-214 says? Did you serve in the military of your country? What PRICE have YOU paid for these freedoms you enjoy so much?

Posted by down-ndirty at 12:54 AM : Apr 23, 2007

When he was asked in an interview while running in 2000 what his favorite childhood book was he said "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", which was published a little over a year after he graduated. between that and "My Pet Goat" they're going to be the only two books in his "library" that he has read...or can.

As for dhadaway's DD214 (if he can figure out what that is) it probably says what he's hero Bush's SHOULD say...dishonorably discharged for being a yellow-bellied, gutless coward.

[firststate]

dhadaway
To your readings, I%u2019d add Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin. It%u2019s a surprise to find one so familiar with these works aligned with an administration that has worked so hard to trivialize the framers' greatest works, the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I lack the agility to needed for those mental gymnastics. Similar people exist in every age, so great works of literature transcend the ages. These patriots witnessed government's intrusions and it's effects on people%u2019s lives, and tried to insure that, the people would retain primacy and need not worry that their own government would spy on them. The three co-equal branches were intended to prevent the concentration of too much power in one branch. They would've called the neocons' unitary executive what it is, a ruler with a new title. They%u2019d say that a man who%u2019d swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and then call it irrelevant and just a Godda^mned old piece of paper, had NO honor. They'd likely say that a president who would systematically attack the protections against government intrusion in citizens' lives, in violation of the Constitution and laws is guilty of treason. Bush%u2019s cabal has been at odds with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for years. The founders said that they who'd cede liberty to gain security, deserve neither. Continued

[down-ndirty]

dhadaway, if you studied history OUT OF THE BOX you would know that Bush's grandfather was doing business with the Nazis DURING WWII.

As far as stopping the war--we're working on it. It took Bush six years to screww it up, it's going to take a lot more than six months to end it, if ever.

Maybe you don't have to worry about serving your country, but your children, if you have any, just might be facing the draft. Thanks to Bush.

OBTW: Did you even serve your country?

[down-ndirty]

"...Well, Dirty, I am flattered that you enjoy copy and pasting my posts..." Posted by dhadaway at 10:38 PM : Apr 22, 2007

I just did it again. LOL!! Don't be flattered. Facts are this, dhadaway. You spew stuff you think only you know. LOL!! And only you think it is a foreign language. LOL!! Don't flatter yourself. You're not the only one who studies history. You're just the only one here who doesn't study history OUT OF THE BOX. You only read what YOU want to know.

My America has been around a long time; a long time before I arrived and it will be here a long time after we are all gone. It survived the likes of Hoover, Harding, & Wilson and it will surely survive the Bush disaster.

Do I think Bush sits around thinking...about anything? LOL!! It's a well-known fact he doesn't read much; he probably doesn't think much either. What was the name of his favorite childhood? You know? The one written AFTER he was graduated from Yale? LOL!!

dhadaway, you didn't tell us what YOUR DD-214 says? Did you serve in the military of your country? What PRICE have YOU paid for these freedoms you enjoy so much?

[bigdadpatrio]

I don't think you very far to the left leftists realize just how ignorant and extreme you really sound! Throwing names like "traitor", "Nazis", war criminals", "liar" etc. etc. etc. YOU are really pathetic. Since none of you can do anything but make accusations and call names (I'm still waiting for your PROOF to back up your accusations -- oh yes, do ANY of you have a clue what constitues PROOF?) Just because you hate doesn't prove anything. Just because you "feel" doesn't prove anything. Just because you "believe" doesn't prove anything. Why don't you take your negative energies and put them into positive actions, you know, like ending this war, like ending poverty, like getting the price of gasoline lowered, like getting honest politicians elected, like building people up not always tearing them down. Put your energies into things that are POSITIVE for a change.

[randalds]

Bush grandfather was a traitor? Was W's little sister who died of leukemia a traitor too? Or did the big oil companies do that? Did Bush's father sit in the smoke filled room with Germans and make millions? Is Laura a traitor? What about the twins?

Posted by dhadaway at 10:46 PM : Apr 22, 2007

Yes. No. No. No, the Saudi's. No, she's a robot. No, both idiots.

[dhadaway]

Bush grandfather was a traitor? Was W's little sister who died of leukemia a traitor too? Or did the big oil companies do that? Did Bush's father sit in the smoke filled room with Germans and make millions? Is Laura a traitor? What about the twins? I don't mean to sound harsh, but have you really sat down and thought about how ridiculous you sound?

You Dems won the 2006 elections. Congratulations.
Now stop the war. If you are so intent on protecting the troops, do it now. Bring them home. Dems have the power--but they won't do it because they have no guts to do anything except apoint judges that tear down Nativity scenes.