A Funny First Lady

Laura Bush put aside her "librarian-as-first-lady" persona and actually was funny during White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night. This event is known for pulling political types out of their shells to poke fun at themselves and at "official" Washington. Mrs. Bush delivered.

"I am married to the president of the United States, and here's our typical evening: Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching 'Desperate Housewives' -- with [Vice President Dick Cheney's wife] Lynne Cheney," Mrs. Bush said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife. I mean, if those women on that show think they're desperate, they ought to be with George.

"One night, after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, [Secretary of State] Condi Rice, [Bush adviser] Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendales," she said, referring to a strip club where women tuck cash into male dancers' skimpy thongs. "I wouldn't even mention it except [Supreme Court Justices] Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's Secret Service code name is now 'Dollar Bill.' "

But, of course, it wouldn't be Washington without some jackass taking umbrage.

"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."

Now I do not know who Elaine Quijano is, but David Korn is a first-rate a-hole. I can't even stand the sight of him. Yet, right on cue, the self-proclaimed morals police (or at least a group pretending to be said morals police) gave Korn what he wanted. (Note: This is a PDF file.)

"We saw our President undermined, mocked and emasculated by his own wife on the most public of stages, and at a time when his manliness is already under attack. We saw the leader of the free world seemingly unable to lead his own family."

What we saw is a husband and wife who obviously love each other very much and are comfortable poking a little fun at each other. I've said it before, but I'll say it here again: If the nutjobs on the left and the nutjobs on the right both are upset with you, you're on the right track. So Elaine, David and the Coalition for Traditional Values, take out a classified ad and get over it. Might I suggest the heading: Lost -- My Sense of Humor.