May 1, 2005
MARRIED TO MR. EXCITEMENT:
Laura Bush: Take my husband... (Csar G. Soriano, 5/01/05, USA TODAY)
First Lady Laura Bush had them rolling in the aisles Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. [...]Posted by Orrin Judd at May 1, 2005 9:27 PMThe president normally addresses the crowd, but this year the first lady gently nudged President Bush aside and took over, making her husband and his family her comedic targets.
"George, if you really want to end tyranny in this world, you're going to have to stay up later," she joked. "Nine o'clock and Mr. Excitement here is in bed, and I'm watching Desperate Housewives— with Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."
Laura Bush spared no one (more jokes at left), poking fun at Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and even her mother-in-law, Barbara Bush. "People think she's a sweet, grandmotherly, Aunt Bea-type. She's actually more like Don Corleone.
"Cedric, am I doing all right?" she asked halfway through her routine to Cedric the Entertainer, billed as the night's headliner.
Try to imagine this happening between 1993 and 2000, even though the well of possible jokes would have been massive.
Posted by: John at May 1, 2005 10:05 PMJohn: He couldn't take it and she wouldn't be able to deliver with good humour (the Clintons, I mean). Quite the opposite of the current couple.
Its interesting that everyone has misunderestimated Laura as well as her husband. The meme on her was that she was a mindless stay at home shell of a person with no wit.
Does anyone recall Clinton ever making a self-depracating remark?
Posted by: Buttercup at May 2, 2005 8:45 AMIt's great that she pulled this off--once--but I do hope she treads carefully here.
Posted by: Peter B at May 2, 2005 9:33 AM