Obama yuks it up at annual correspondents dinner,
From Biden to Boehner, neither friend nor foe was safe as Obama morphed from President into King of Comedy at correspondents dinner
And the prize for the best bit at this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner goes to ... President Obama. No surprise there. “The fact is, I feel more loose and relaxed than ever. Those Joe Biden shoulder massages, they’re like magic,” began the president, standing at the podium.
But who knew he would bring out Keegan-Michael Key (of Comedy Central’s Key and Peele) for the “serious” part of his speech — as his anger translator, no less?
As Obama lectured the crowd on the realities of climate change, Key bellowed, “Y’all think Bradley Cooper came here ’cause he wants to talk to Chuck Todd? He needed a glass of water!”
Thought the president routinely trumps the guest roaster-in-chief at the annual journalist, politician and celeb-packed schmoozefest, this year’s host, Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong, held her own, poking fun at contenders in the 2016 election, the Secret Service and cable news. (She had a Joe Biden massage joke, too, but Obama beat her to the punchline.) A few of Strong’s best jokes: “Since I’m only a comedian I’m not going to try to tell you politicians how to do politics or whatever. That’s not my j ob. That would be like you guys telling me what to do with my body. I mean, can you even imagine?”
After a dig at the Secret Service, Strong added: “I don’t want to be too hard on those guys. They’re the only law enforcement agency in the country that will get in trouble if a black man gets shot.”
Strong started to aim for Brian Williams. “What can I say about Brian Williams? Nothing, because I work for NBC.”
She also asked the audience to repeat after her: “I solemnly swear not to talk about Hillary’s appearance because that is not journalism.”
Strong was the fourth female to ever be asked to host the affair (Paula Poundstone, Elayne Boosler and Wanda Sykes preceded her) and had previously said she would avoid mean jokes.
Before her, Obama came prepared, packing his routine with zingers aimed at critics of his l ast term.
“I am determined to make the most of every moment I have left,” said Obama, adding that after he won the last election, “My advisers asked me, ‘Do you have a bucket list?’ I said ‘Well, I have something that rhymes with ‘bucket list.’ Take executive action on immigration? Bucket. New climate regulations? Bucket. It’s the right thing to do.”
On his critics: “A few weeks ago Dick Cheney says he thinks I’m the worst president of his lifetime. Which is interesting, because I think Dick Cheney is the worst president of my lifetime.”
Obama saved some of the bigger laugh lines for jokes about himself.
He noted that he had been busy trying to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats and negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program.
“All while finding time to pray five times a day,” he said, prompting laughter about the never-ending, conspiratorial speculation that he is, in fact, a Muslim.
This year, 2,620 guests attended the dinner at the Washington Hilton (tickets were $300 (U.S.) a pop). With files from Star’s wire services