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Obama jabs at himself, DC's establishment
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-10 11:51 WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama poked fun at himself and the Washington establishment Saturday night. Obama spoke at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner. He took playful digs at his frequent use of a teleprompter and Vice President Joe Biden's knack for speaking off the cuff.
Republicans were also a target. Obama joked that former Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't make the dinner because writing his memoir, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people." It was a reference to Cheney's support of harsh interrogation and his accidental shooting of a hunting companion. Obama also turned serious and talked of the financially struggling media industry, praising journalists for holding government officials accountable.
Tart-tongued comic Wanda Sykes, who first made a name on TV with stints on "The Chris Rock Show" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," was booked as this year's dinner entertainer. She has said it's her job to "poke fun and ridicule," and even a popular figure such as Obama isn't off limits. The $200-per-ticket dinner attracted plenty of VIPs from outside the Beltway. Among those attending were Eva Longoria Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Christian Slater, Natalie Portman, Sting, Mariska Hargitay, Steven Spielberg and Jon Bon Jovi. Also there were hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who successfully landed his jetliner in the Hudson River without loss of life, and Richard Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates after his cargo ship was attacked. Among the government elite attending were Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Todd Palin, whose wife, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, canceled due to flooding in her state, also was a guest. |
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