Bush aides: "It did not overshadow Bush's own funny routine"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Skewering comedy skit angers Bush and aides

By Paul Bedard

Posted 5/1/06

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060501/1whwatch.htm

Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert's biting routine at the White House Correspondents Association dinner won a rare silent protest from Bush aides and supporters Saturday when several independently left before he finished.

"Colbert crossed the line," said one top Bush aide, who rushed out of the hotel as soon as Colbert finished. Another said that the president was visibly angered by the sharp lines that kept coming.

"I've been there before, and I can see that he is ," said a former top aide. "He's got that look that he's ready to blow."

Colbert's routine was similar to what he does on his show, the Colbert Report, but much longer on the topic of Bush, suggesting that the president is out of touch with reality. Aides and reporters, however, said that it did not overshadow Bush's own funny routine, which featured an impersonator who told the audience what Bush was thinking when he spoke dull speech lines. In fact, some aides crowed over reports that the president easily bested Colbert in the reviews of both comedy acts.



Bush's other "funny" routine, from March 2004:

MIA WMDs--For Bush, It's a Joke

David Corn

BLOG | Posted 03/25/2004 @ 12:57am

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=1336

Last night I was at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner. It's a formal-and-fun affair where thousands of media folks assemble at the Hilton for a fancy dinner and fab pre- and post-parties. I'm not going to denigrate such soirees. I enjoy them. While bookers and producers jiggled and jostled on the dance floor and media and political celebs dissected the news du jour (this time it was Richard Clarke's dramatic appearance before the 9/11 commission), I was able to chat with former weapons hunter David Kay and learn about some troubling developments in the intelligence community (more on that down the road). And there was free sushi.

But an awful you're-all-alone moment came during George W. Bush's comments that followed the sit-down dinner. The current president is often the honored guest at this annual affair, and the audience toasts him in what is supposed to be a sign of communal and nonpartisan spirit. And the tradition is that the president has to be funny; he has to provide us with an amusing speech that pokes fun at himself and his political foes. After all, political journalists love to see politicians engage in self-deprecating humor. Bill Clinton was quite good at these performances. Bush seems to enjoy them less. Rather than do straight standup, he sometimes relies on a humorous slide show, and that was how he chose to entertain the media throng this time.

It's standard fare humor. Bush says he is preparing for a tough election fight; then on the large video screens a picture flashes showing him wearing a boxing robe while sitting at his desk. Bush notes he spends "a lot of time on the phone listening to our European allies." Then we see a photo of him on the phone with a finger in his ear. There were funny bits about Skull and Bones, his mother, and Dick Cheney. But at one point, Bush showed a photo of himself looking for something out a window in the Oval Office, and he said, "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere."

The audience laughed. I grimaced. But that wasn't the end of it. After a few more slides, there was a shot of Bush looking under furniture in the Oval Office. "Nope," he said. "No weapons over there." More laughter. Then another picture of Bush searching in his office: "Maybe under here." Laughter again.

[BOSSHOG]

1. Isn't it incredibly telling when one gets mad

upon hearing the truth about themselves? How will bush react when he's dragged off to the Haque?

[mr_hat]

2. Too funny - they're acting like David Brent

in the BBC's version of "The Office."

[underpants]

3. I think the best part is that he threw it right in the press's face

THAT is the part that hurts.

All he did was say out loud "He has no clothes" and then point out that they should have been saying it all along.

[Fierce]

4. Bush's funny routine?

You mean the one where he's pretending to be president? No, not funny at all.

[0007]

9. Perhaps if one was retarded junior's routine would be worth a laugh.

[Fierce]

10. I object to that.

nt

[wtmusic]

5. Let's ask some Gold Star Moms if the "WMD joke" is funny

Ha. Ha.

[babylonsister]

6. The expression on dimson's face in that pic speaks

volumes! :rofl: :spray:

[yellowcanine]

7. If it was a flop why do they keep braying about it? It seems Colbert

scored a direct hit on *, otherwise the aides wouldn't be floundering around so and trying to spin public opinion about the event. Can you imagine Clinton's aides expending so much energy trying to discredit all of the anti-Clinton comedy that went on? This is one thin skinned President and administration.

I saw part of the clip. While I am not a big Colbert fan and I don't think his stuff is that funny, he clearly nailed Bush on a numbber of points. No it was not funny, but was it the TRUTH? Sure was.

[Mr_Spock]

8. Haha!!! Saying it didn't means that you think it did!

Republicans are fools who always get into trouble due to their need to be right.

It's so entirely pathetic and shows the base nature of Republicans. They are wounded children all grown up.

[Javaman]

11. and just who is the blog-sphere talking about all week?

Oh, yeah right, the hilarity of morons* comedic audition for his next job as a stand up. Har har har...:sarcasm:

When they have all the ass sucking media in their pocket, they can give the mouth breathers their new marching orders as to what is funny and what is not.

Are those right wing nut jobs who laughed at Colbert, flogging themselves now? I certainly hope so...

moron* is so much funnier just being himself*. I mean honestly, choaking on a pretzle? You can't write that shit.

colossal racist so-not-funny failure*