Talking
about Wanda Sykes' nasty anti-Limbaugh "joke" at Saturday night's White
House Correspondents' Association dinner ("I think maybe Rush Limbaugh
was the 20th hijacker, but he was just so strung out on oxycontin he
missed his flight"), CBS's Harry Smith defended Sykes more than did
Keith Olbermann. Smith recounted on Monday's Early Show: "I ran into
Keith Olbermann afterwards...And he said 'I'm not sure, I think that
was probably - probably in bad taste.' I said 'what do you think her
job is?'" While even left-wing bomber thrower Olbermann thought Sykes
was over the line, Smith defended her: "Well, you know what, any
comedian, anybody who does that job, their job is to push the
envelope...You can't go home - you can't go home to the community of
comedians unless you've gone too far."
Co-host Julie Chen later wondered: "But how did the room react, you
guys, who was there?" Smith replied: "They groaned, serious groan...And
Michelle Obama, in particular, was very uncomfortable with some of
Wanda Sykes." Dave Price explained: "It was pretty much the only groan.
I mean, there were a couple of other small ones. But she was - she was
pretty much en fuego [on fire]."
[This item is based on a Monday post by the MRC's Kyle Drennen on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org [1] ]
Price went on to observe that left-wing Hollywood was back in force at
the dinner: "And of course, you had the whole Hollywood community back
in. They typically have shied away from Republican presidential
candidates. And they came back in force, because to the - you know,
Obama's a rock star." Co-host Maggie Rodriguez remarked: " Obama's so
popular." Price added: "...particularly in Hollywood."
In
addition to the conversation centered around Sykes, all of the Early
Show hosts went out of their way to mention how funny they thought
Barack Obama was. Earlier in the show, Smith declared: "It was a
star-studded event as President Obama added 'comedian-in-chief' to his
duties over the weekend." Later, after playing a clip of Obama at the
dinner all of the hosts chimed in, beginning with Russ Mitchell: "That
was pretty good." Rodriguez added: "That was very good-" Smith
remarked: "Really lots of really funny self-deprecating stuff." Price
later exclaimed: "He was very, very funny. First of all, whoever wrote
it was brilliant and his delivery was right on target."
Here is the full transcript of the segment:
7:13AM TEASE:
HARRY SMITH: It was a star-studded event as President Obama added
'comedian-in-chief' to his duties over the weekend. We'll talk all
about that, next.
7:19AM TEASE:
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ:
Coming up next, President Obama takes on Hillary Clinton, Dick Cheney,
even Joe Biden. We'll tell you what he had to say at the annual White
House Correspondents Dinner.
7:23AM TEASE:
HARRY
SMITH: Maggie, Julie missed you at the Correspondents Dinner in
Washington D.C. Here's a little bit of President Obama.
BARACK OBAMA: Which brings me to another thing that's changed in this
new, warmer, fuzzier White House. And that's my relationship with
Hillary. You know, we had been rivals during the campaign. But these
days we could not be closer. In fact, the second she got back from
Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and gave me a big kiss. Told me I
better get down there myself. Dick Cheney was supposed to be here. But
he is very busy working on his memoirs. Tentatively titled, 'How To
Shoot Friends and Interrogate People.'
SMITH: He's pretty funny.
RODRIGUEZ: Very funny.
7:18AM SEGMENT:
HARRY SMITH: People still buzzing about the White House Correspondents
Dinner on Saturday Night. Dave was there. I was there. Tom Cruise was
there.
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Oh, so all the cute guys.
RUSS MITCHELL: Of course, yeah. A-list.
JULIE CHEN: Name-dropper, Harry Smith.
SMITH: Ah well, we've got more names to drop.
DAVE PRICE: You were rolling around with Julia Louis Dreyfus.
SMITH: Please, I have stories to tell, but let's listen to a little more of the funny stuff.
BARACK OBAMA: Now Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight, because they're
grounded. You can't just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan.
MITCHELL: That was pretty good.
RODRIGUEZ: That was very good-
SMITH: Really lots of really funny self-deprecating stuff.
RODRIGUEZ: -referring to the Statue of Liberty picture that cost the guy who arranged it his job.
PRICE: He was very, very funny. First of all, whoever wrote it was
brilliant and his delivery was right on target. What did you think of
Wanda Sykes?
SMITH: Well, you know what, any comedian,
anybody who does that job, their job is to push the envelope. Remember
Don Imus with Bill Clinton?
PRICE: Pushed it-
SMITH: Stephen Colbert with Bush, whoever's there is going to push it past-
CHEN: Okay, Harry-
SMITH: Yes?
CHEN: -you need to explain, because a lot of people don't know, unless
we have the Wanda Sykes soundbite, do we have it ready?
SMITH: She told a joke about Rush Limbaugh as being one of the - one
of the hijackers and the reason he didn't make the flight was because
he was, you know, on drugs or whatever.
CHEN: Oh, on Oxytocin, right.
SMITH: And the whole place - yeah - so the whole place groaned, and I ran into Keith Olbermann afterwards.
PRICE: Right.
SMITH: And he said 'I'm not sure, I think that was probably - probably
in bad taste.' I said what do you think her job is?'
PRICE: Right.
RODRIGUEZ: That's what she was aiming for.
CHEN: But how did the room react?
SMITH: You can't go home - you can't go home to the community of comedians unless you've gone too far.
MITCHELL: Right.
CHEN: But how did the room react, you guys, who was there?
SMITH: They groaned, serious groan.
PRICE: Oh, no, they groaned. But-
SMITH: And Michelle Obama, in particular, was very uncomfortable with some of Wanda Sykes.
PRICE: True, but I-
MITCHELL: Was it the only groan? Was it the only groan that you heard?
PRICE: It was pretty much the only groan. I mean, there were a couple
of other small ones. But she was - she was pretty much en fuego. And
of course, you had the whole Hollywood community back in. They
typically have shied away from Republican presidential candidates. And
they came back in force, because to the - you know, Obama's a rock
star.
RODRIGUEZ: Obama's so popular.
PRICE: To - particularly in Hollywood. Steven Spielberg was there.
SMITH: Unbelievable.
PRICE: I mean, Tom - Tom-
RODRIGUEZ: Tom Cruise, you mentioned him already.
PRICE: Right.