Obama pokes fun at himself, Dems and GOP

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the hottest ticket in town, a black-tie dinner gathering of Washington's political and media elite but Dick Cheney couldn't make it.

The former vice president was busy, President Barack Obama joked, working on his memoir "tentatively titled, How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People.' "

As the star attraction of Saturday night's star-studded annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, Obama enjoyed poking fun at his critics and the Republican Party. But his own administration, in power for just over 100 days, was also a target of the president's playful digs and one-liners.

"I believe my next hundred days will be so successful that I will be able to complete them in 72 days," he said to a roar of laughter. "And on my 73rd day, I will rest."

His chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, Obama observed, always has a hard time on Mother's Day.

"He's not used to saying the word 'day' after 'mother,'" Obama said.

The chairman of Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, was "in the house tonight," Obama noted. "Or as he would say, 'In the heezy.'"


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i0VQDZEbJbsrJfakVXXTgJAvD4fQD983BT080

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On the Net:
■ White House Correspondents' Association: http://www.whca.net


The Congressional Correspondent’s Dinner will now take place on Friday, June 19th. The date changed to accommodate the President’s schedule.

[No Elephants]

1. Obama joked about torture?

[bettyellen]

2. as fucked up as it is, no one can say anything @ it without actually coupling Cheney w/ torture

and getting that connection out. same w/ rush and his oxycontin scandal.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. He used humor to remind Americans Cheney is a torturer

Humor laced comments resonate with many people. Just look at how many comedians joke about the horrors in our society if you need proof. It gets us thinking and talking about a topic we often would rather shove to the back of our minds.

Considering the venue, I don't think it was out of line.

[Baby Snooks]

5. Best way to remind us would be to indict him...

Some things really are out of place and parody or not this was obviously was out of place. It reminded us of that the previous administration tortured people? It reminded us of the policies of the previous administration but also reminded us that this administration so far seems intent on not doing much more than merely reminding us. That doesn't hold them accountable. And the American people want them held accountable. Not made the fodder for either comedy or parody.

[No Elephants]

6. Humor is funny. Jokes about torture are not funny, any more than jokes about people jumping out of

the WTC would be funny. Or Bush joking about no WMD. Or jokes about people dying from cancer.

Most comedians know where to draw the line. They joke about the ills and foible of our society, not the horrors. Whoever wrote Bush's easter egg style hunt for WMd routine did not know where to draw the line. Neither did whoever wrote this for Obama.

If a Republican had spoken lightly about torturing Muslims, people here would be livid.

As far as the venue, that would be anywhere reached by TV. Just think how charming and hilarious this is going to sound when Al Jazeera re-broadcasts it.

[Egnever]

9. Says you

Somehow I get the feeling you dont have the best sense of humor though.

[No Elephants]

14. You're right. Jokes about people dying of cancer would be hilarious.

Somehow I get a feeling? Is that Egnever Speak for "I disagree, so I am going to make a personal attack based on something I have no way of knowing, one way or another, simply because I am not capable of any higher discourse?"

[Baby Snooks]

4. Yes he did...

And some found it funny. It's called parody and this dinner is one of several annual events where the president is either making fun of himself or someone else is. Usually it's funny. One reason why it's not funny this year is the previous eight years. Which weren't funny. Even at the annual dinner. This really was not the time to joke about torture. It's really not a time to joke about much of anything.

Life goes on. Life doesn't always go on the same. As everyone discovered during the Air Force One "photo-op" in New York. Life is not the same. Not for New Yorkers anyway. Not for a lot of people anyway.

[Bette Noir]

7. Comedians, in our culture, are the only people allowed to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Reference George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Chris Rock (yes, Chris Rock). Here, Obama was acting as comedian-in-chief. As such, he is ringing our bell, causing the culture to resonate.

There are also people who said that "The Producers" was tasteless and uncalled for, because it made people laugh at Nazis. Like it's a good thing to be the butt of a joke? Our Obama, in joking about Cheney, reinforced Cheney's position as a has-been, and strengthened the public perception of Cheney as an evildoer.

As far as war crimes prosecutions, I, too, have been disappointed with Obama's apparent reluctance to prosecute. Note, however, that prosecution is not the President's job. He has handed it over to Holder, who *is* investigating, and he has not discouraged Congress from also doing their job in gathering information to turn over to Justice for potential prosecution. Cheney will get his due, in time.

I liked Jon Stewart's wrap up. "The Left thinks Obama's a god. They just wish he was a more vengeful god."

[No Elephants]

8. No, he was not acting as Comedian in Chief. He was the POTUS, or he would not have been

at the White House Press Corps dinner. Colbert was Comedian in Chief at one of those dinners, not Bush. And, heaven help us, Rich Little, not Bush.

When Bush did his hunt for WMD, did you consider him a POTUS attemtping a joke that was in bad taste, or did you excuse it on the ground that he was acting as Comedian in Chief.


While I would like to see Obama obey the law and prosecute, as REQUIRED the UN Convention Against Torture, to which we became a party in 1988, my posts on this thread have nothing to do with anything but my reaction to a joke in poor taste. I can separatte the two.

[bettyellen]

13. Obama's joke was at Cheney's expense- Bush's WMD joking was at the expense of the American people...

and at the miitary- both rubes made out to be fools in his WMD propaganda

[No Elephants]

15. I disagree on both counts. Bush's joke was at the expense, first, of the Iraqis, second of our

military who were risking their lives, getting injured and dying and the American people--and the world--last. Obama's joke was not only at the expense of Cheney, but of those who have been tortured and killed. Cheney will let it roll right off his back unless he's prosecuted--which Obama says he does not want to do. Those who were tortured won't have that luxury.

[bettyellen]

16. you're right about Bush's joke,,,, but not Obama. Our president cannot be the one to push for

this prosecution. he has to leave it to others and get to business. but he is influencing opinion against Cheney by bringing it up in a way people can handle, and that's a good thing.

[Karenina]

18. There are a lot of young people here who just MAY have missed

the reference to Dale Carnegie's 1936 tome, "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.html

[Lorien]

11. Oh but he didn't say "torture" he said "Interrogate"

as in Cheney ordered "Enhanced interrogation techniques", not torture. Torture would be a crime, after all...

[No Elephants]

12. We all know he meant torture and he knew we would know that he meant torture. This

morning, George Steph referred to torture as "Bush administration anti-terrorist measures" or something very close. I emailed the show within four minutes after he said it. The media is ridiculous with these euphemisms for war crimes.

[bamacrat]

10. Im so glad that the joke of the the day was not our president but what he said.

[Karenina]

17. Bada-bing, bada-BOOM!

:rofl: