海角大神

Jimmy Kimmel hosted the White House Correspondent鈥檚 Dinner four days ago, but he鈥檚 still continuing to roast politicians. Though by 鈥渞oast鈥� we mean he鈥檚 singeing President Obama while turning up the heat higher on his Mitt Romney jokes.

Take his monologue from 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live鈥� last night. (OK, the show appears at midnight on the East Coast, meaning it鈥檚 technically this morning. We get it.) Mr. Obama got off relatively easy. Perhaps that was because he was in Afghanistan to sign a new strategic relationship pact with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It鈥檚 difficult to mock a president carrying out crucial foreign policy duties.

But Kimmel gave it a go. 鈥淧resident Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan today to commemorate the anniversary [of Osama bin Laden鈥檚 assassination],鈥� he said. 鈥淗e had an inspiring dinner with the troops, followed by dinner at 鈥楾GI鈥檓-leaving,鈥� and got right the heck out of there.鈥�

Come on, Jimmy, you can do better. How about this: 鈥淧resident Obama just flew back from Afghanistan tonight. Boy is his left arm tired.鈥�

Or this: 鈥淧resident Obama just signed an agreement with Afghanistan to get US forces out. We鈥檙e leaving one person behind to help defend the country. Ted Nugent.鈥�

Feel free to groan, we鈥檙e not proud. Anyway, Kimmel鈥檚 bit on Romney was tougher. Funny, but tougher. The late-night comedian put up a clip of Romney and his wife Ann appearing on CBS earlier in the day. In that CBS interview Mrs. Romney insists that the former Massachusetts governor is not a stiff. Then she leans over and puts her arms around her husband and gives him a hug.

At that point Kimmel stopped the clip. 鈥淟ook at how stiff he is while she鈥檚 holding him!鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like she鈥檚 trying to shake him out of it.... By the way, what was that [fabric print] on the shirt she was wearing? It looks like a cross between a parakeet and a serpent.鈥�

Then Kimmel restarted the clip, which his staff had doctored. What followed did not happen in the actual CBS interview, trust us.

鈥淚t鈥檚 nice for me as a wife to say this is the person that鈥檚 really there,鈥� Ann Romney told CBS interviewer Charlie Rose. 鈥淚 still look at him as the boy that I met in high school when he was playing all the jokes.鈥�

At this point in the clip, Mitt Romney鈥檚 arm comes shooting up, holding a rubber chicken.

鈥淎nd really just being crazy,鈥� concludes Mrs. Romney.

Then, her husband whacks her with the chicken, knocking her backside-over-teakettle out of the chair.

Kimmel鈥檚 audience loved the altered clip, roaring with laughter.

It鈥檚 true that Kimmel鈥檚 treatment of the president vis-脿-vis the presumptive GOP nominee is just a bit of entertainment ephemera, with little or no bearing on the campaign at large. But we feel this does illustrate at least one interesting point: In presidential politics, a challenger is just a challenger, someone whom it鈥檚 funny to make the butt of rubber-chicken jokes.

The incumbent is the President of the United States, capital 鈥淧,鈥� capital 鈥淯,鈥� capital 鈥淪.鈥� That can be harder for comedians, not to mention their political opponents, to get a handle on.

As the New York Times political blog, The Caucus, notes today: When it comes to campaigns, a sitting president has 鈥渋ncalculable advantages." One minute they鈥檙e issuing harsh ads questioning whether their opponent would have killed Osama bin Laden. Then the next, just as opponents are crying 鈥渇oul鈥� over the ad, the nation鈥檚 chief executive is suddenly in Afghanistan, doing the nation鈥檚 business on a big stage.

鈥淭he weaving of campaign and official business is the hallmark of presidential reelection campaigns, perfected by previous administrations of both parties. And Mr. Obama鈥檚 team will be no different in making use of the trappings of his office,鈥�

Of course, it's also possible that Hollywood is just full of Democrats who find it easier to relate to Obama's style (and politics) than to Romney's. We'll let you discuss that amongst yourselves.