Posted on 05/02/2005 6:00:13 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Who knew? First lady Laura Bush took over the podium from her husband at Saturday night's annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner and knocked 'em dead, keeping Washington's most powerful politicos in stitches as she worked the ballroom like a seasoned stand-up comic.
CUT
Although Washington's movers and shakers laughed at Mrs. Bush's performance, some in the press woke up with a Sunday morning hangover and began to criticize her monologue as immodest at best and downright bawdy at worst.
"Laura Bush cracks risque jokes at the White House Correspondents' dinner," sniffed Agence France-Presse. CNN reporter Elaine Quijano, who attended the dinner, also apparently had her sensibilities scarred by some of the first lady's quips.
"In some respects, I think for some folks it was a little shocking because she kind of crossed the line a little bit in some people's minds," she said.
"It was very risque," the Nation's David Korn said yesterday on Fox News. "I was wondering what the social conservatives and James Dobson had to say about all these jokes that were laced with sexual innuendo. Not a very family-values-type speech. I'm not sure I want to explain a lot of those jokes to my 4-year-old."
Eyebrows were raised by the first lady's bit about the president's ranching skills, which Mrs. Bush said her husband lacked because the elite schools he attended, Andover and Yale, "don't have a real strong ranching program."
She then added: "He's learned a lot about ranching since that first year when he tried to milk the horse. What's worse, it was a male horse."
The crowd howled. The joke, a female Associated Press reporter said, "had women giggling in the bathroom."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
What did she say that was over the top? Do you know if there is a transcript anywhere?
I went to milk and didn't know how,
I milked the Bull instead of the Cow
Backpedaling Whoopie:
MATTHEWS: Let‘s talk about something more to the point, which is your political role. I have been in this situation, so I sympathize with it. You said something to a crowd or you didn‘t say something, and it became the big issue of Hollywood and its role in the Democratic fight for the presidency last time. What is your recollection of what it‘s all about?
GOLDBERG: Well, I kind of always thought it was all about people being able to express an opinion.
I have been—I did nothing different than what I normally do, but it‘s funny, because it‘s the one time when I didn‘t actually say anything rude or nasty or ugly. I was just actually doing a play on words.
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: Yes, that double-entendre on the president‘s name...
GOLDBERG: Yes.
MATTHEWS: ... caused some people to believe that that was gross material.
GOLDBERG: Well, it would have been nice if people would have actually been able to see what I said or had it been written down somewhere, so they could make a really smart opinion about what it was. But it was much more interesting to sort of say what people would think that I would say, you know.
MATTHEWS: Right. Well, this show is called HARDBALL, Whoopi. What did you say?
GOLDBERG: Oh, Chris, do you really want to know?
(LAUGHTER)
MATTHEWS: Yes.
GOLDBERG: I said that I loved bush and that someone was giving bush a bad name. You want the rest of it?
MATTHEWS: Yes.
GOLDBERG: I said, I think it‘s time for bush to be in its rightful place, and I don‘t mean the White House.
MATTHEWS: OK.
GOLDBERG: That‘s pretty much it.
MATTHEWS: I get it. Let me—and you think that was OK?
GOLDBERG: For a comedian, yes.
MATTHEWS: OK.
GOLDBERG: If you had said it, it would probably be wrong.
MATTHEWS: Right.
GOLDBERG: But this is what I do for a living. And it‘s demonstrated time and time again, when I had my own show, when I took the president to task all the time, as I‘ve done with all the presidents since Reagan.
MATTHEWS: But, you know, Hollywood people—you remember when Gary Hart...
GOLDBERG: Wait. Wait. Don‘t call me a Hollywood person.
MATTHEWS: OK. New York, Broadway person.
GOLDBERG: I don‘t live in Hollywood.
Yes, I‘m a performer.
MATTHEWS: OK.
MATTHEWS: A performer.
GOLDBERG: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me ask you this. Remember, Gary Hart got in trouble? He was out in California speaking to a gay group and he was making fun of New Jersey, saying, I‘m not back at some solid waste dump in New Jersey. Well, somebody was in the room, I guess, from New Jersey or something.
It‘s this problem of being in one room talking to one setting of people and having it bounce out and sounding totally different when it gets outside. But...
GOLDBERG: Well, you have to know that when you take yourself to an event or something that is against what you particularly believe, you‘re going to hear things that aren‘t going to be the kind of things you want to hear.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
GOLDBERG: So, listen, this was a really organized, as this party has been all along, a really tightly organized thing to present an idea that says these people feel like this.
No one can doubt that my belief in this country is as strong as it‘s ever been. No one can doubt that my commitment to the country is strong. No one can doubt that I have very high family values, because I have a very great family. So, I don‘t buy into any of that stuff, that people who make their living as actors or whatever don‘t have any idea about what the middle of the country is thinking, because it‘s not true.
MATTHEWS: Why do people in Hollywood—you have never said it. I know you are like me. You like this—love this place, obviously.
But there are Hollywood people that seem to inevitably say, if we lose this election, if Kerry loses in this case, I‘m leaving. I‘m going to Australia. I‘m going to London. Why do people do that?
GOLDBERG: You know why they do it?
MATTHEWS: Why?
GOLDBERG: Because you get the feeling, as we‘ve seen—I mean, look at what happened to Linda Ronstadt. Linda Ronstadt said she liked a movie. And the people who came to see her went berserk.
They have taken to task many people for saying how they feel about different situations in the country. And the general feeling, I think, with a lot of people who are outspoken about what they think and feel...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
GOLDBERG: ... is the idea that, somehow, we‘re going to be shut down, that it‘s no longer the American way to be able to express dissonance against your country, against the policies.
And that‘s always been one of the great things that we have been able to do, is to say what we feel or what we think without fear of reprisal from the government. And it‘s—we‘ve gotten to a place in the country where people are not sure that that‘s still the case.
Now, you know, I understand where people are coming from. I understand a lot of people have strong feelings about the country, but the idea is that, in this country, we‘re allowed to express them. This is not Iraq. This is not Iran or any other country where you‘re in a repressed mode. Or at least that‘s the America I remember.
MATTHEWS: Well, who do you—this argument you are making is profound. But when you look at the people you get in a car radio driving to work any day of the week, Limbaugh is on. Gordon Liddy is on. Laura Ingraham is on. Joe Scarborough is on. He‘s one of my people here on the network here at nighttime.
They go right to war with Hollywood, the liberals in Hollywood. And they seem to almost make a living on it, going against you guys. Who is winning the fight?
GOLDBERG: I don‘t know, man. You know, it‘s all entertainment.
I don‘t care what they say. It‘s all entertainment. And it makes perfect sense for one side who‘s a little bit stronger to take to task the other.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6839706/
If the liar has a 4-year old, I wonder who shired it?
I cannot name another First Lady in the entire world who has done something like this.
I stand willing to be corrected.
There was a time, not too long ago, when well-bred Southern ladies, which Mrs. Bush purports to be, would die a thousand deaths before telling bawdy jokes before an audience of 2,500 in the nation's capital.
I mean, can you picture Lynn Cheney with a dollar bill, sitting with Laura and Condi and Karen Hughes...........and meeting Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Ginsburg?? It was hysterical in its absurdity!
No one could possibly have taken that seriously. I don't think you need to worry about it.
Laura was magnificent, and she's still as classy as ever. She's always had that twinkle in her eye...........and besides.........she's been married 27 years to a wild party animal. ;o)
We met David Korn at the Managers Dinner and he was a typical liberal - smug, self-righteous and condescending. Also, typically hypocritical. He wants OUR four year olds to be given condoms and bananas, along with instructions. What's worse?
You are 100 percent correct. And you have perfectly summarized the problem the libs have with Laura. She is beautiful, intelligent, entertaining, and humorous. The world got to see a few clips of her beautiful smile and those sparkling eyes. She epitomizes class--and she has a sense of humor!
Laura Bush puts the lie to the liberal ideal of what a woman should be.
Unless they can use the stereotypical caricature of a needlebutt rightwing whackjob to denigrate the republicans in general.
You seem to be in the minority, but have right to your opinion. No correction necessary.
LOL. Makes me think of Kingpin.
Yeah, right David. I really believe you have your 4-year-old up watching the WHCA thing at 10:00 at night.
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrre.
According ti the International Herald Tribune (via Drudge), they were written for her by Landon Parvin. He said that she doesn't watch "Desperate Housewives" but that the Twins do.
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/05/01/news/letter.php
No kidding! I mean, come on, they own a ranch for cripes sake!
Being a stick in the mud must pay well these days. :P
Laura knocked the crowd out, she was a star. The sniveling liberals in the press have been, are, and will always be sniveling liberals doing what sniveling liberals do.
This is what the left is counting on, you know? Conservatives eating their own........playing 'holier than thou'....
It's a stereotype that the let will lap right up, and say, "SEE? We were right." Don't fall into a leftist trap.
I agree! I am very straight laced and prudish...and I thought it was very funny!
But, honestly, I wondered how much of a sense of humour Barbra Bush has? That was the only part I found a bit distasteful...making fun of your mother in law is dangerous indeed!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.