Posted on 02/02/2009 2:08:07 PM PST by lewisglad
Well, at least they were in the same room-- with a few hundred of their closest friends.
Obama sat at the long, long head table in the Capital Hilton with Chief Justice John Roberts and former President George H. W. Bush near the podium. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sat with former First Lady Barbara Bush down at the far east end of the table.
Yes, Palin looked beauty-queen elegant in her black floor-length gown with matching shawl and, no, I don't know whether she bought it at her beloved Anchorage consignment shop.
Unlike Obama, Palin did not get a chance to speak but, rest assured, she had a presence. During schmooze breaks between courses, about as many well-wishers tested Washington's stodgy etiquette by lining up like overgrown Miley Cyrus fans to shake her hand as lined up to bask in the Obama aura.
"Nothing says 'change' in Washington like dinner with the Alfalfa Club," Obama quipped in his speech.
Media are conspicuously banned, yet -- sneaky devils that we are -- some of us somehow manage to get in to report the choicest punch lines. Here are a few:
"Good to see Gov. Palin here. I never expected to see you paling around in this crowd," Obama said in a wry reference to Palin's charging during the campaign that Obama had been "paling around with terrorists.
After a good-natured laugh from the audience, he added, "Congratulations on your Golden Globe for '30 Rock'." That was a salute to "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" star Tina Fey, whose Palin imitations turned out to be one of the campaign's unlikeliest highlights.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsblogs.chicagotribune.com ...
oh tee hee, he’s just so AMUSING.
/sarc
Luckily, The Political Machine's McCain Simulator 5000 hasn't been put into storage yet, so we were able to reconstruct McCain's portion of the program:
- So, I called Governor Palin this morning, I said, "Sarah, it's John, how would you like to go to the Alfalfa Dinner with me? (pause) McCain, John McCain."
- President Obama is working hard to pass this stimulus bill, and after reading it, I'd say he's actually being tri-partisan about this. As in, "I'll try anything."
- Wow, tough crowd. I feel like Goveror Paterson at the Kennedy Center Honors.
- Governor Palin, you look lovely. Just a heads up, Andrew Sullivan is outside telling everyone it's really Bristol's dress.
- And President Obama looks sharp as ever. If you look closely, though, you can see that the buttons on his jacket say "Click here to donate."
- I'm really glad I scored an invite to this dinner. Rod Blagojevich offered me a ticket, but I told him, "I'm already a Senator."
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2009/02/02/top-secret-mccain-alfalfa-dinner-jokes-revealed/
He is a snide, nasty little bugger, isn’t he?
President Barack Obama, the first African-American to hold the office, suggested last night that Robert E. Lee would be “very confused’’ if he were around today.
Obama, guest of honor at one of Washington’s most exclusive events, the Alfalfa Club dinner, made a debut with a few jokes that the White House is sharing.
“I am seriously glad to be here tonight at the annual Alfalfa dinner,’’ Obama said. “I know that many you are aware that this dinner began almost one hundred years ago as a way to celebrate the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. If he were here with us tonight, the general would be 202 years old. And very confused.’’
The president, at a dinner attended by first ladies (see Clarence Page’s photos here) got off some lines about his chief of staff, the salty-tongued Rahm Emanuel, and that second swearing-in that Obama took after flubbing a line on Inauguration Day at the misprompt of the chief justice of the United States (and Chief Justice John Roberts turned out:last night, to publicly thank the president for his graciousness.)
“Now, this hasn’t been reported yet, but it was actually Rahm’s idea to do the swearing-in ceremony again,’’ Obama said. “Of course, for Rahm, every day is a swearing-in ceremony.
“But don’t believe what you read,’’ Obama said. “Rahm Emanuel is a real sweetheart....
“No, it’s true,’’ the president said. “Every week the guy takes a little time away to give back to the community. Just last week he was at a local school, teaching profanity to poor children.’’
Joe Lieberman, with a nod to what life might have looked like if John McCain had won the White House, told the Alfalfa crowd (with both McCain and Sarah Palin in attendance) : “”I could almost see the vice president’s mansion from my house.” Instead, he said, he has become “the first person in U.S. history to be granted a pardon by a president before he had taken office.”
Lieberman took a shot at impeached former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich for “giving a bad name to the word ‘chutzpah’.” And he announced that Obama will be visiting the Washington offices of The New York Times soon “as part of your search for a new house of worship.”
“Talk about hard times,” said Kit Bond of Missouri. “These days you can’t even sell an Illinois Senate seat.” And the loquacious Vice President Joe Biden, long the No. 1 commuter between Wilmington, Del., and Washington, he said, “s the reason Amtrak created the ‘quiet car’.”
Vernon Jordan, wearing a top hat, announced that he would give it to Obama after his speech. Jordan told the president: “The difference between me wearing this hat and you wearing this hat is that I do not have to pull a rabbit out of it.” Jordan also told the president: “People have faith in you, but of course I said the same thing to Bernie Madoff.”
Obama spoke of the travails of his first 10 days:
“In just the first few weeks, I’e had to engage in some of the toughest diplomacy of my life,’’ he said. “And that was just to keep my BlackBerry.
“I finally agreed to limit the number of people who could email me. It’ a very exclusive list. How exclusive?... Everyone look at the person sitting on your left Now look at the person sitting on your right. None of you have my email address.’’
Others have reports of their own this morning on the president’s humor — including David Brooks of The New York Times, who noted on CBS’ Face the Nation that Obama joked about a certain problem he has with the Labradoodle picked out for his daughters — the dog owes back taxes. See them here:
Among those there, without the president’s address: the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential ticket, Sen.JMcCain of Arizona and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Palin.
While the dinner is allegedly off the record, the White House has helped break that bubble with its selection of lines released today. Our own columnist Clarence Page has contributed some lines above, and Politico.com reports that Obama told Lieberman, Democrat-turned-independent-turned-McCain supporter, that he has no hard feelings.
The door is always open, Obama assured Lieberman, who observes the Sabbath, so feel to drop by — any Saturday afternoon.
As for Palin, rubbing elbows with the Washington elite whom she railed against during the campaign, Politico notes that Obama suggested Palin, who had accused him of “pallin’ around with terrorists’’ during the campaign, now was “palling around with this crew.”
The Washington Post also reports that Lieberman reported that former Vice President Dick Cheney injured himself while moving into his new home, saying: ‘I had no idea water-boards were so heavy.’’’
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/02/obama_robert_e_leed_be_very_co.html
John McCain, once again you show your stupidity. Not even remotely funny. I would have loved to hear Sarah tell some jokes such as..
-”Ok whoever here has a valid birth certificate raise your hand..Barack I didn’t say FAKE birth certificate, put your hand down”
Vernon Jordan won and gave Zero an Abe Lincoln top hat... :)
She is a show stealer.
Much more fascinating that Obama. Too bad she will always be linked to that dog Tina Fey (with apologies to dogs).
Its to bad Bobe Hope isn’t around anymore. I bet he would have been able to put the one in his place.
Sarah's a lesser candidate for taking part in this farce.
Look at his body language in the picture of her with Lieberman.. no way... no how was O going to turn around and smile and greet her.
Robert E. Lee would not be confused at all. He would know exactly what to do with Rinos and the Obamabots.
And something tells me that after Lee was done with 'em,they all would have to be working for a living instead of being on the take.
I do not call that confusion.
I call that Wisdom.
Of course Obama is from bizarro world, where everything is backwards.
My uncle (owns a Washington real estate company) gets to go to this Alfalfa Club dinner every year. . .lucky! Maybe if I move to DC I can be his date one year.
Clarence said Sarah got as many well-wishers as Zero! (coming to her table) tee-hee...
So, Buckwheat was at the Alfalfa Club?
Sorry, just couldn’t resist.
Lieberman announced that Obama will be visiting the Washington offices of The New York Times soon “as part of your search for a new house of worship.”
“Sarah’s a lesser candidate for taking part in this farce”.
...I agree. Continuing to play games with these vipers and jumping in their “pit” only makes her look like a suck up. Take care of Alaska and get ready (under lock and key) for 2012.
That he is. To me, snideness is the sign of a coward also. He is a dangerous little coward.
Relax, it's a dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. Reagan attended them, was he a "lesser candidate'?
Stop being so angry, Jawa, and comment on how resplendent Sarah looked.
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.