Obama jabs at himself, DC's establishment

[TheCount]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama mocked his own administration and gave playful digs at his critics and Republicans at a black-tie dinner Saturday night attended by a mix of politicians, celebrities and journalists.

The Republican Party was a favorite target for Obama, speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't make the dinner, Obama joked, because he was writing his memoir, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people." It was a reference to Cheney's support of harsh interrogation and his accidental shooting of a hunting companion

The president directly addressed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who was in the audience.

"Michael for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry," said Obama, referring to recent economic steps of the White House and the radio personality's public criticism of the GOP party leader.

But Obama targeted his own miscues as well.

"No president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly," Obama said. The president's two top choices for the position dropped out.

He playfully ribbed his frequent use of a teleprompter and Vice President Joe Biden's knack for speaking off the cuff. And about the Democratic Party, he said his administration has helped in "bringing in fresh, young faces — like Arlen Specter." The 79-year-old Pennsylvania senator, a former Republican, switched parties last month.

Obama noted that he and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had been political rivals, but he assured the audience "these days, we could not be closer."

"In fact the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug," the president said, playing off the threat of a spreading swine flu virus that has targeted Mexico the most.

Obama also turned serious and talked of the financially struggling media industry, praising journalists for holding government officials accountable. "A government without newspapers, a government without a tough and vibrant media of all sorts is not an option for the United States of America," he said.

The president wasn't the only one to tell jokes.

Tart-tongued comic Wanda Sykes, the dinner's entertainer, poked fun at Obama giving the Queen of England an iPhone during a recent visit. "What are you going to give the Pope, a Bluetooth," asked Sykes. And she questioned first lady Michelle Obama having patted the queen on the back "like she just slid into home plate — way to go, queen!"

The $200-per-ticket dinner attracted plenty of VIPs from outside the Beltway.

Among those attending were Eva Longoria Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Christian Slater, Natalie Portman, Sting, Mariska Hargitay, Steven Spielberg and Jon Bon Jovi. Also there was Richard Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates after his cargo ship was attacked.

Proceeds from the dinner, $98,000, will help feed the hungry and fund journalism scholarships.

Those honored at the dinner are several journalists:

_Sandra Sobieraj Westfall of People magazine and David Greene of National Public Radio, the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Westfall won for her election night reporting. Greene won for digging into candidate Obama's speech that addressed the country's racial divide.

_Michael Abramowitz, formerly of The Washington Post, the Aldo Beckman award for his coverage of the final days of the Bush administration.

_Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong of the Seattle Times, the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance, for a series exposing the failure of Washington state hospitals and others to handle the rise of the MRSA staph infection.

The White House Correspondents Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.

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There's some zingers in there.

Remember the dinner is for a good cause, btw.

[masomenos]

I think the best line from Obama was:

"Car and Driver recently named me auto-executive of the year."

or maybe...

"I believe my next 100 days will be so successful that I will complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day, I will rest."

[Hostile]

I liked it when Bush did this too. I think it brings them back to the people a little bit. Is there video?

[WoodysGirl]

Originally Posted by Hostile

I liked it when Bush did this too. I think it brings them back to the people a little bit. Is there video?

There's two parts, but I could only get the link to the first part. I'm sure it'll be on youtube later.

Link 1: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_201264.html

Link 2: *in progress*

[ShiningStar]

Yeah i feel much closer now, at 200 a pop and I always eat with Jon Bon Jovi and Sting, really has that home town feeling.


How much of the proceeds is going to feed the hungry and how much is going to journalism scholarships. Which is such a worthy cause.

If Obama wanted be truthful and funny, he should have said before everyone, "the only reason no one is calling for my impeachment is because of that man right there", and than point to Biden.

[WoodysGirl]

Originally Posted by ShiningStar

Yeah i feel much closer now, at 200 a pop and I always eat with Jon Bon Jovi and Sting, really has that home town feeling.


How much of the proceeds is going to feed the hungry and how much is going to journalism scholarships. Which is such a worthy cause.

If Obama wanted be truthful and funny, he should have said before everyone, "the only reason no one is calling for my impeachment is because of that man right there", and than point to Biden.

I think I read that 23K would be going to the scholarships.

Can't find the article at the moment. I admit to not looking that hard, tho.

Edit redux:

The correspondents' association donated $23,000 — some of it saved by skipping formal dessert at the dinner — and raised another $75,000 from several major media organizations for two food banks, So Others Might Eat and Share Our Strength.

Funding for the journalism scholarships remained at $132,000 a year, an expanded level set in 2008.

edit: More jokes

"I must confess I really did not want to be here tonight," Obama told guests at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner -- an annual black-tie gathering of journalists, politicians and Hollywood celebrities. "But I knew I had to come. That's one more problem that I inherited from George W. Bush."

Alluding to his reputation for staying cool and on message, Obama ticked off a series of goals he hoped to achieve.

In the next 100 days, he said, he would learn to go off the teleprompter and Vice President Joe Biden, famous for verbal gaffes, "will learn to stay on the prompter."

Obama said he also expected to house-train his new, seven-month-old Portuguese water dog, Bo.
[View Full Quote]"The last thing Tim Geithner needs is someone else treating him like a fire hydrant," he said, referring to his treasury secretary. Geithner was forced to pay $34,000 in unpaid back taxes before being confirmed to his job and he has been criticized for his handling of the financial crisis.


Sykes, known for her blunt take on current events, mused about her pride in Obama's being the country's first black president.
"That's unless you screw up," she said, turning to him from the podium. "And then it's going to be -- what's up with the half-white guy."

[BigWillie]

Wanda Sykes was especially hilarious with her jokes about Biden and Palin. Her joke about Cheney was hilarious as well because CSPAN cut to a shot of Glenn Beck who was sitting there with this PO'd look on his face that Sykes was actually cracking jokes about Cheney.

Although the bad part of Sykes 'jokes' were that she did go a bit far with the Limbaugh jokes by taking a crack at his abuse problems.

Anyways, you can see her part of the night here ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmyRo...eature=related

Obama was funny as well, especially his first joke of the night making fun of the whole teleprompter garbage. The Michael Steele and Hillary jokes also had me cracking up.

You can't help but watch this and laugh at some of this stuff. Yes, even you Repubs too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GwZFAV1Lw

[BrAinPaiNt]

Originally Posted by Hostile

I liked it when Bush did this too. I think it brings them back to the people a little bit. Is there video?

Agreed I thought W was a good sport during these types of things as well.

[ChldsPlay]

Originally Posted by BigWillie

Wanda Sykes was especially hilarious with her jokes about Biden and Palin. Her joke about Cheney was hilarious as well because CSPAN cut to a shot of Glenn Beck who was sitting there with this PO'd look on his face that Sykes was actually cracking jokes about Cheney.

Although the bad part of Sykes 'jokes' were that she did go a bit far with the Limbaugh jokes by taking a crack at his abuse problems.

Anyways, you can see her part of the night here ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmyRo...eature=related

Obama was funny as well, especially his first joke of the night making fun of the whole teleprompter garbage. The Michael Steele and Hillary jokes also had me cracking up.

[View Full Quote]You can't help but watch this and laugh at some of this stuff. Yes, even you Repubs too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GwZFAV1Lw

You have a poor sense of humor IMO. I haven't heard or read a single joke yet that I thought was even remotely funny. They've all been pretty lame. When you can guess the punch line every time before they say it, then it's not a good joke. Also I haven't seen mention of the Obama joke about his daughter's taking Air Force One out for a joy ride. I'm sure New Yorker's found that one to be hilarious.

[TheCount]

Originally Posted by ChldsPlay

You have a poor sense of humor IMO. I haven't heard or read a single joke yet that I thought was even remotely funny. They've all been pretty lame. When you can guess the punch line every time before they say it, then it's not a good joke. Also I haven't seen mention of the Obama joke about his daughter's taking Air Force One out for a joy ride. I'm sure New Yorker's found that one to be hilarious.

[ArmoredSaint]

The WHCD was a win-win for everyone involved. The talk radio world will run with it and increase their listenership. The mainstream media gets to be up close and personal with the object of its affection in a perpetual Barney-esque singsong lovefest. Wanda Sykes gets to expand her fanbase beyond members of the black and gay communities. The cable news and entertainment media (not that there's a whole lot of difference between the two) now have a more sexy story to cover instead of looming ObamaCare, which will merely engulf 16% of the GDP into the government slagheap that brought us Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Entitlements we can believe in.

[the kid 05]

who knew the prez could be a jokester?

[masomenos]

Originally Posted by the kid 05

who knew the prez could be a jokester?

I thought it was pretty common knowledge that Presidents could be comedians.

After all, weren't the Bush years one big joke?



I kid, I kid.

[Hoofbite]

Originally Posted by TheCount

haha......I was thinking the same thing.

[ChldsPlay]

Originally Posted by Hoofbite

haha......I was thinking the same thing.

By all means, have fun, but don't give credit to something that isn't funny in the least, it's insulting to people who really are funny and have good jokes.