Posted on 04/30/2006 3:43:25 AM PDT by saveliberty
By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 20 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - It was twice the fun for members of the White House Correspondents' Association and guests Saturday night when President Bush and a look-alike, sound-alike sidekick poked fun at the president and fellow politicians.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I feel chipper tonight. I survived the White House shake-up," the president said.
But impersonator Steve Bridges stole many of the best lines. Vice President Dick Cheney and his hunting accident were targets of his humor on a couple of occasions.
"Speaking of suspects, where is the great white hunter?" Bridges said, later adding, "He shot the only trial lawyer in the country who supports me."
Bush continued a tradition begun by President Coolidge in attending the correspondents' dinner.
He invited Bridges to play his double. The president talked to the press in polite, friendly terms. Bridges told them what the president was really thinking.
Bridges opened like this: "The media really ticks me off — the way they try to embarrass me by not editing what I say. Well, let's get things going, or I'll never get to bed."
"I'm absolutely delighted to be here, as is (wife) Laura," Bush replied.
"She's hot," Bridges quipped.
The featured entertainer was Stephen Colbert, whose Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report" often lampoons the Washington establishment.
"I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq," Colbert said in a typical zinger.
He also paid mock tribute to Bush as a man who "believes Wednesday what he believed Monday, despite what happened Tuesday."
Yet it's the Who's Who of power and celebrity in the audience — invited by media organizations to their dinner tables — that draws much of the attention.
Joining ABC were former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame, the CIA officer at the heart of a leak investigation that has reached deep into the White House.
Others on the guest list included rapper-actor Ludacris; James Denton, the hunky plumber on ABC's "Desperate Housewives"; "Dancing With the Stars" winner Drew Lachey; New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin; tennis player Anna Kournikova; and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Award winners honored at the dinner were:
_Deb Riechmann of The Associated Press and Terry Moran of ABC News, Merriman Smith Awards, the top journalism award for White House reporting under deadline pressure.
Riechmann was recognized for breaking the news of Bush's choice of John Roberts for the Supreme Court. Moran was cited for his broadcast coverage of Bush's first visit to areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.
_Carl Cannon of the National Journal, the Aldo Beckman Award for his profile of presidential adviser Michael Gerson. The award is given for repeated excellence in White House reporting.
_Marcus Stern and Jerry Kammer of the Copley News Service, the Edgar A. Poe Award for a series of stories on Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned in disgrace and pleaded guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes. The Poe award recognizes excellence in news of national and regional importance.
The association was established in 1914 as a bridge between the press corps and the White House. The current president is Mark Smith of AP Radio.
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The Press Corp President Mark somebody or other from AP Radio whined about their ramshackle quarters in the WH, which is undergoing renovations. Poor babies ;-)
And Colbert did tease the press about not being hard on the President and inferred that their analysis was factual and just about right.
LOL! This made him look like a petulant teenager
I didn't feel embarassed for him. I felt sorry for him that he thought he was being witty and that he thought that he was controlling our impressions. He failed. We all have things that we fall short on, but few are televised nationally.
I don't think that he realizes how tough the camera is on him (not visually so much as audially)
There was at least one movie they did together and I may be misremembering, but I had thought that she had something positive to say about him while in office.
;-) Oh it was clear that he wasn't partying with them
LOL! They really don't merit any attention
;-) I am not that kind of gal, but it seems that someone else was able to post her photo for you
I respectfully disagree about the President attending. There were old clips of other dinners and the best by far were two by Reagan.
It's a forum to put the shoe on the other foot.
CSPAN showed him coming into the hall. It may be on a repeat.
Maybe next year they will invite the parents of some of the soldiers that were killed by enemy action, they might have a few one liners of their own.
Did you not see some of the wounded warriors there?
I wonder who invited that puke ludicrus?
He's the best argument for retroactive abortion i've ever seen.
ever hear of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer? i guess u r so much brighter u should b pres..........
Hard to know what to make of these dinners but surely the President topped everything anyone else has done to date.
I saw it the president was great. Kober can take a hike. If he loves the sea hag, so much with his, she just won't stop aaking why we invaded iraq, he should date the ugly. Talk about a farse , but President Bush was his usual self a President I can be so proud of. Kober can go out to the northest wilderness and go find big foot for all I care.
The President and Steve Bridges were hilarious. Steven Colbert was a let down.
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Agreed!
W and B were a matched set. The bit was brilliant, world class humor. It forced guffaws from a juandiced crowd. I am honored to have watched this magnificent bit of tomfoolery. W is a genius.
Colbert could not match the wit, sheer humor and genius of W and his double. He was trite, obvious, shallow, and not funny. The audience clearly agreed. Colbert is rediculous.
Yeah, and WE'RE PAYING FOR IT!
What a colossal waste of taxpayer money!
W and Bridges did a routine that was better than about 90% of the professional comedy skits I've seen. Maybe Rodney Dangerfield was that good, but that was some of the best comedic timing I've seen.
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