McCain and Obama Joke at Al Smith Dinner

The Al Smith Dinner is a great charity event held by the Catholic Church in New York City. A white-tie affair, the dinner brings together the political elites of both parties for an evening of dining and humorous speeches. The headline act at last night's dinner was John McCain followed by Barack Obama.

John McCain's best line may have been, “I can't shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me. He paused, looked stage right and said, “I'm delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary.” After a line about calling Mr. Obama “That One” in a debate, he said, “He doesn't mind at all, in fact, he even has a pet name for me: George Bush

For Mr. Obama, the best lines were, “The mayor recently announced some news that he would be rewriting the rules and have a third term, which prompted Bill Clinton to say: You can do that?” and “I'm glad to see you made it Hillary. I hear Chuck Schumer tried to tell you that we really did move this event to Yankee Stadium." After a beat he added, “She's the primary reason I have all this gray in my hair now."

It wasn't all laughs. Mr. McCain reverted to his 2000 personality when he said, “"My opponent is an impressive fellow in many ways. Political opponents can have a little trouble seeing the best in each other. I have seen this man at his best. I admire his great skill, energy and determination. It's not for nothing that he has inspired so many folks in his own party and beyond. Senator Obama talks about making history and he's made quite a bit of it already. There was a time when the mere invitation of an African American citizen to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters. Today, it's world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. And good riddance. I can't wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well.”

Mr. Obama waxed serious in closing and said, “There are very few of us that have served this country with the same dedication and honor and distinction as Senator McCain. I'm proud to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you. No matter what differences or divisions or arguments we are having right now, we ultimately belong to something bigger and more lasting than political parties. We belong to a community, we share a country, we are all children of God. In this country there are millions of fellow citizens, our brothers and sisters, who need us very much - especially now.”

If they had acted like this during their debates, both would be more popular. They both looked presidential, both were gracious, and as professional comedians would say, “They killed.”

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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