Barack Obama

Obama dabbles in a moment of comedy

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

Chicago Tribune
By Jeff Zeleny

WASHINGTON -- Yes, there were the obligatory questions about Iraq policy and the future of the Democratic Party. But as Sen. Barack Obama made his debut on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," he wisely ducked a far pricklier topic: Who is the worst senator?

"Let's say you're looking around, let's say some guy comes in and you're like, 'Oh crap, it's that guy. That guy's terrible!'" Stewart said. "Is there somebody who you just think: Man, that guy, he can't even read."

As Obama searched for a suitable answer, laughter filled an otherwise rare moment of quiet on the Comedy Central show Monday evening.

"They all have their qualities," Obama finally replied, hardly able to contain his own snickering. "There are a couple guys where you do sort of think: How did you get here exactly?"

The junior Democratic senator from Illinois took a run at televised comedy, appearing on the popular nightly show that pokes fun at the news of the day. Politicians are jumping at the chance to be interviewed by Stewart, which gives them exposure to a growing number of young adults who say they prefer their news to be sweetened by satire.

Initially, Obama was scheduled to be sitting alongside Stewart. But a last-minute adjustment in the Senate voting calendar forced Obama to return to Washington, which provided fodder for joke No. 1.

"We're going to be using the latest in news technology - a live satellite hookup. He is in Washington. I'm in New York. We're going to be discussing issues in real time," Stewart said. "I think this thing is going to take off."

On the set of the fictitious World News Headquarters of Comedy Central, interviews are rarely conducted via satellite, but show officials made the accommodation so Obama could stay in the lineup.

When Stewart asked whether Democrats are beginning to find their voice and gain traction, Obama said: "I think the Democrats are feeling a little frisky right now, no doubt about it."

"Frisky in terms of?" Stewart said to the crowd's roar.

"Politically speaking," Obama quickly interjected.

As Stewart's smile slowly faded away, his questions grew serious: "If Barack Obama was in charge of the Iraq policy, what would we be doing right now?"

"Iraq is sort of a situation where you've got a guy who drove the bus into the ditch. You obviously have to get the bus out of the ditch and that's not easy to do," Obama said. "Although, you should probably fire the driver."

Amid bursts of applause from the Democrat-friendly crowd, he continued to make his point, without ever uttering these two words: President Bush.

"Now, the question is how fast can we get our troops home without causing all-out chaos in Iraq," Obama said, noting that the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections could be a defining moment. "If the Iraqis are serious about keeping the country together, then we should be able to start phasing out our troops by next year and we've got to have specific benchmarks to do that."

Before the discussion could be weighed down with specifics about a controversial plan to withdrawal troops from Iraq, Stewart turned to a lighter topic: Obama's celebrity.

"It is true, I worry about the hype," Obama told Stewart. "The only person more over-hyped than me is you."

Stewart collapsed onto his desk with laughter as the cameras rolled.

"Well done, sir. Well done!" Stewart replied. "That's about the best answer I think I've ever heard."

And with that, the senator's foray into comedy ended.