April 1, 2008

John McCain gets back at David Letterman.



(The song the band is playing is "Soldier Boy.)

(I'm embedding a Redlasso clip, which has caused problems in the past. Hopefully, it will work okay this time.)

ADDED: Redlasso clip replaced by YouTube. I don't know what it is about Redlasso, but it screws this site up for some people. It's such a shame, because they do a great job of putting together clips and getting them out quickly.

16 comments:

Simon said...

Does it make him sound too old to describe him as "spritely"?

Cabbage said...

At first, it seemed like he was trying not to show the left side of his face.

Chris Althouse Cohen said...

Ugh. He's not very good at being funny. A better politician would know to make fun of himself when doing a cameo like that. Bush, Gore, and Hillary have all made fun of themselves on SNL, for instance. Obama acted like he was going to on SNL a while back but then just went into a self-serving thing about how he couldn't be anything other than himself, even on Halloween. But at least he knew you're supposed to make fun of yourself when you do these things.

Craig Nolen said...

mccain really seems to have a carson-esque delivery but he lacks any comedic talent

AllenS said...

I was one of those who had trouble with the redlasso stuff. Yesterday, I had high speed installed. Now I can watch all of the videos. Way more faster. Yea!

Hoosier Daddy said...

I thought it was pretty funny actually, considering Letterman is such a pretentious ass he let himself be lambasted.

Then again Obamabi prefers such high quality appearances on The Oprah and The View. Nuff said right there.

bearbee said...

A better politician would know to make fun of himself when doing a cameo like that. Bush, Gore, and Hillary have all made fun of themselves on SNL...

And we know how beloved they all are.....

..considering Letterman is such a pretentious ass ...

I would enjoy seeing him as the object of ridicule on a regular basis as he does to others. That includes Leno but to a lesser degree.

Richard Fagin said...

Sen. McCain only needs a bit more practice to be right up there with, "I will not use my opponent's youth and inexperience for political advantage."

Meade said...

Here's Hillary on Letterman. Where's the humor?

BTW, Watch her lie at 7:45. "I have met so many people..." Sure she has.

reader_iam said...

Wait. Did John McCain just accuse David Letterman of having a pet trouser snake? Maybe more than one?

Dear God. The imagery.

reader_iam said...

Trouser snakes. Inflated trunks.

Uhhhh.

I'm not sure whether to make a triple espresso and chug it, or just go back to bed and try to start the morning over.

Kurt said...

If I remember right, Letterman is taller than average. He sure made McCain look short.

BJK said...

Bush, Gore, and Hillary have all made fun of themselves on SNL, for instance.

McCain hosted SNL a few years back. He even sang Streisand during the show.


Based on the set-up for the clip on the blog, I was a bit disappointed. I read the song that the band was playing, and thought 'Soulja boy' instead of 'Soldier boy.' Really would have changed the context.

Beldar said...

Mr. Cohen, maybe it's a generational thing, but I really disagree. What leapt out at me, watching this clip, was that McCain was not at all nervous, that he genuinely likes Letterman (and vice versa), and that he was having a helluva good time. He was loose; he wasn't acting like he was acting, even if someone else scripted his lines (which I'm sure someone did).

He seemed to be comfortable in his own skin, to use that clich&eacut;. And that, in turn, made him a far more effective comedian in this bit than most politicians — vastly better (funnier and more likeable) than Hillary, Gore, or Bush in their SNL spots. Indeed, I agree with you that the best thing about their respective performances was their self-parody (particularly Gore and Bush in 2000), but that was essentially the only remarkable thing about their performances.

Listen again to McCain's timing and articulation and emphasis on a hard line to deliver, that many a real comedian would have fluffed — the one about Letterman and the neighbors. It's pitch-perfect.

Beldar said...

Ahem.

"cliché" ... preview is your friend, especially with html codes, Beldar.

reader_iam said...

he was having a helluva good time. He was loose; he wasn't acting like he was acting, even if someone else scripted his lines (which I'm sure someone did).

Beldar, I agree with you.