Bush and Rove Laugh It Up/Yoko Ono in DC

Last night was the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner--over 2000 journalists, media people, and government officials (sources and leakers, that is) wearing tuxes or gowns and enjoying themselves at the Hilton. I won't bore you with all my boldface anecdotes from the night (such as talking to actor Jon Voight, father of Angelina Jolie, about his wonderful 1985 film Runaway Train).

The evening was weird. The "entertainment" portion of the night--which included an obligatory self-deprecating routine from the president--began with a brilliant clip from the satirists of JibJab.com titled "What We Call the News." It slammed the media--mainly cable news media--for obsessing with celebrity news (Anna Nicole Smith, Trump, Rosie, etc.) instead of serious matters, such as the war in Afghanistan. It cut close to the bone, and members of the audience--which included the honchos who make the decisions being decried by the JibJabbers--laughed, but not as uncomfortably as perhaps they should have.

Let me sum up the rest of the evening:

Number of jokes George W. Bush made about Dick Cheney: 4

Number of laughs generated by Karl Rove doing a rap song: Thousands

Number of times Bush mentioned the Iraq war: 0

After Bush cracked gags about himself (he said his memoirs will be a "pop-up book"), Cheney, Barack Obama, Jim Webb, he became serious, praising Bob Woodruff, the ABC newsman injured in Iraq; David Bloom, the NBC newsman killed in Iraq; Tony Snow, the White House press secretary whose cancer has returned; and Elizabeth Edwards, John Edwards' wife whose cancer has returned. He then quickly referred to "our men and women in uniform." But he didn't say where those men and women are.

The war in Iraq is certainly no laughing matter and should not be a subject of presidential humor--though Bush (see below) did joke about the missing WMDs at this event three years ago. Yet when Americans are dying overseas, it was creepy to watch Bush yuk it up and then not say anything serious and specific about the men and women who are sacrificing lives and limbs for his failed Iraq policy.

Watching Rove win the guffaws of the assembled was also an unsettling experience. This fellow is responsible for an administration that has done much damage to the nation and the world. He deserves no giggles. To be fair--if we must--he was pulled on to the stage by improv actors who were part of the night's official festivities, and Rove went along with the gag. But when they asked him his name, he said, "Peter Fitzgerald." Was this an arrogant crack? It appeared to be a reference to Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor who investigated Rove in the CIA leak case and came close to indicting him. But Rove escaped Fitzgerald's clutches. And several people I spoke to later in the evening interpreted Rove's inaccurate reference to Fitzgerald as a deliberate put-down. Perhaps. There did appear to be a you-didn't-get-me snideness to the remark.

Rapping and ribbing while the republic slips. This is Washington. And a good time was had by all.

One other note: at a reception before the dinner, former Senator Fred Thompson, the actor who may or may not be a GOP presidential candidate, slapped me on the back and offered a hearty, "Hey there, David." He seemed to be in a jolly mood. (Placing third in a presidential poll without even running will do that to a politician.) "C'mon, get in the race," I told him. "It will make it even more interesting." He just laughed and flashed a big smile. Then I said, "What about that James Dobson?" Earlier in the day, the social conservative leader had been quoted saying that he did not consider Thompson to be a Christian. In response to my question, Thompson shot me a steely look. He said nothing and moved on. I didn't think his anger was directed at me. He seemed damn pissed at Dobson. Which is all the more reason his entrance into the race would shake things up. There's nothing like a good GOP blood feud.

OH, YOKO. My wife, Welmoed Laanstra, and her partner-in-public-art, Nora Halpern, have a new project starting in a few days. As part of Street Scenes: Projects for DC, their series of temporary public art installations, they are bringing Yoko Ono to Washington, and Ono is presenting a citywide project called "IMAGINE PEACE." For this project, she is setting up Wish Trees in various locations (such as the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossoms are now in bloom). What are Wish Trees? It's a Japanese tradition. People write their wishes--for a better job, for a good night's sleep, for world peace, for whatever--on tags and hang them on the living trees. She is also distributing (free of charge) posters that say "IMAGINE PEACE" and setting up a billboard in downtown Washington (at 7th and G Streets NW) that says the same thing. (Smaller versions of the poster are available in today's issue of The Washington Post's giveaway paper, the Express.



Yoko Ono is regarded by many people as John Lennon's wife (or widow). But she was an accomplished conceptual artist before meeting the Beatle and has carried on her work since his death. For more information on her "IMAGINE PEACE" project, which begins this Monday, and for the locations where you can see the Wish Trees or pick up one of Yoko Ono's (free!) posters, visit the Street Scenes website here.

Posted by David Corn at March 29, 2007 11:12 AM