Republicans/The Bush Administration having fun

[Guest Vitamin X]

Bush Pokes Fun at Himself at Press Dinner

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, AP

 

WASHINGTON (March 13) - President Bush poked fun at himself at the press corps Saturday night and offered a new reason for overhauling the Social Security system. Raising the name of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Bush said, "We have to fix it or Rumsfeld may never retire."

 

Bush noted - with a little help - the presence of a number of new Cabinet members attending the Gridiron Club's 120th annual dinner.

 

Turning to Vice President Dick Cheney, the president said, "Dick, maybe you can point them out to me."

 

Some of the press skits he had watched earlier in a long evening were about steroid use in professional sports, but Bush said that in looking out at the press corps he was confident none of them were on steroids.

 

"Those are all natural bodies," he said.

 

Bush said anyone looking for a transcript of the evening's program should call Doug Wead, the longtime Bush family friend who recently made public tape recordings of private telephone conversations he had with Bush before he started running for president.

 

The president noted that former President Clinton was recovering from surgery and said that "when he woke up he was surrounded by his loved ones" - his wife, daughter and "my dad."

 

The former President Bush and Clinton have become something of an item despite their once fierce political rivalry.

 

Earlier in the evening, a woman pretending to be John Kerry's wife sang about how happy she is that he wasn't elected. Karl Rove revealed his successful strategy for winning President Bush a second term. Wannabe presidential candidates pressed for advantage in the 2008 race.

 

It was as close to "Saturday Night Live" as Washington gets, as journalists assumed the personas of politicians in song, dance and wisecracks.

 

The Gridiron Dinner is a journalistic tradition in which, for one night, members of the Fourth Estate turn the tables on the powerful people they report and write about daily. The Gridiron Club's motto is to "singe, but never burn."

 

In a nod to 2008, they parodied the White House aspirations of Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, featured speakers at the white-tie dinner.

 

Richardson compared the Bush's administration's treatment of U.S. allies over the Iraq war to the NCAA basketball tournament.

 

"Sixty-four teams start and they're whittled down to just one," Richardson said in prepared remarks. "Kind of reminds me of what we've done with our allies."

 

Hagel paid tribute to Johnny Carson, a Nebraska legend, by impersonating "Carnac the Magnificent," one of the late comedian's characters.

 

"Answer: March Madness," Hagel said. "What do Democrats call my Social Security plan?"

 

Having observed their routine, Bush called Richardson and Hagel "a couple of independent thinkers, which in my book is a negative."

 

Following another close presidential election, the show poked fun at despondent Democrats and smug Republicans.

 

Prison-striped Democratic leaders were seen trying to figure a way out of "Gitmo," the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the government is holding suspected terrorists.

 

One sketch had Massachusetts Sen. Kerry singing a lament about "why, oh why, oh why did I ever lose Ohio?" while in the next scene wife Teresa Heinz Kerry appeared positively giddy over her husband's loss to Bush.

 

"Thank heaven, he lost the race," her character sang to the tune of "Thank Heaven for Little Girls." "Now I can tell the press just how and when and where to go, and I'm allowed my wine and escargots."

 

Republicans were singed, too.

 

To the tune of "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," a Karl Rove impersonator sang about the challenges of turning Bush into presidential timber. "He looked smug, he looked dim. How we gonna win with him?" he sang. Rumsfeld was rapped for his Iraq war planning. "Rummy, have you some spare Teflon coating that we could wear?" soldiers sang to the tune of "Mister Sandman." "You said we'd win Iraq with ease, Mr. Rumsfeld, we need Humvees."

 

Other 2008-themed skits portrayed Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York singing about how she'll "turn those red states blue" and Senate newcomer Barack Obama of Illinois, prancing around in a gold outfit and halo, urging the party to "go with a guy who walks on water."

 

Founded in 1885, the Gridiron Club is made up of Washington news bureau chiefs, columnists, reporters, cartoonists and editors. It exists only for the annual dinner and political roast. Every president since Benjamin Harrison, except for Grover Cleveland, has attended.

[Vyce 0]

If politicians were more self-effaceing the other 364 days out of the year, the public might like them a little more.

 

The president noted that former President Clinton was recovering from surgery and said that "when he woke up he was surrounded by his loved ones" - his wife, daughter and "my dad."

 

The former President Bush and Clinton have become something of an item despite their once fierce political rivalry.

 

That one actually got a chuckle from me.

 

Those two HAVE been very bizarre bosom buddies as of late.

[Guest MikeSC]

In Bush's defense, people tend to bitch when he becomes self-effacing.

 

Remember the griping about his bit last year where he was looking around the White House for Saddam's WMD?

-=Mike

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah but that was joking about something that was quite serious, that being his emphasizing the danger of Saddam's WMD problems. American politics is hardly something not to make fun of, though.

[Guest MikeSC]

Yeah but that was joking about something that was quite serious, that being his emphasizing the danger of Saddam's WMD problems. American politics is hardly something not to make fun of, though.

Or, in other words, politicians should be more self-effacing.

 

But just don't joke about anything?

-=Mike

[NYU 0]

He should feel free to joke about something like choking on a pretzel. It was an action that only affected him, and in the end, it was relatively harmless.

 

Joking about sending American troops off to war over a reason that turned out to be completely false is completely different. It didn't only affect him, but it affected the country as a whole. From the actual soldier to the soldier's family to the average citizen on the street. And I would hope that not even you would say the repercussions of it were harmless.

 

But come on Mike, I would hope you know all this already. This argument has been made in the CE Folder countless times.

Edited March 14, 2005 by NY Untouchable

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Bush makes fun of himself all the time -- it's not like he has a lack of material to work with...

[Guest Loss]

The president noted that former President Clinton was recovering from surgery and said that "when he woke up he was surrounded by his loved ones" - his wife, daughter and "my dad."

 

Now THAT'S hilarious. Herbert and Bill are all over the place together anymore.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

The president noted that former President Clinton was recovering from surgery and said that "when he woke up he was surrounded by his loved ones" - his wife, daughter and "my dad."

Ha ha ha - his wife.

 

Oh, that's not the joke?

[treble 0]

Bush's joke when he was in Ottawa a few months back, about people waving at him, 'with all 5 fingers' was pretty good. He had a weird laugh-type reaction after it, though.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

This was pretty funny. I liked the "independent thinkers" line. It's always good when politicians can be less than serious.

[Gary Floyd 0]

It's good to see Bush has a sense of humor. If anything, it doesn't make me hate him less or even like him, but at least he seems to be human

[Boon 0]

Bush's joke when he was in Ottawa a few months back, about people waving at him, 'with all 5 fingers' was pretty good. He had a weird laugh-type reaction after it, though.

That was a good joke.