Make them laugh

Echoing some rumblings I've seen among our DC insider media on the twitter, Ezra declares Obama wasn't really joking at their celebrity bash.

Obama’s speech at the White House correspondents’ dinner was well received, and for good reason — it was very funny. But there were a lot of moments when Obama seemed to be subverting the rules of the evening in order to get away with telling harsh truths that he could later claim were just jokes.

“Some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress,” the president said. “‘Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?’ they ask. Really? Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?”

Everyone laughed. But do you detect an actual joke there? And lest you think I’m cutting the punchline, here’s Obama’s next sentence: “I’m sorry. I get frustrated sometimes.”

Screw that noise. It's supposed to be a roast. You can't hear it in a written transcript but in the instant, Obama's comedic timing was impeccable. Jay Leno can only dream of mastering the delivery of topical humor as well as Obama did. The jokes were funny because they were true.