Hey kids, put away the hatchets for one second and enjoy a few good laughs for the politically savvy. Then feel free to hug-it-out or pick up your hatchets again. Your choice. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122421158010543749.html NEW YORK -- Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama came together Thursday night for back-to-back turns at sharply witted, self-deprecating and laugh-out-loud political humor. Both men offered good-natured and well-crafted nods to their own foibles as well as gently placed digs at their opponents. The result was a remarkable night of comity in a presidential campaign that has been at times brutally tough. The occasion was the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, which has drawn the contenders in most presidential election years to the white-tie event in Manhattan. The evening was like dessert for the politically minded, filled with inside jokes from a campaign that has lasted nearly two years. They were separated at the head table only by Cardinal Egan, the Archbishop of New York. The 63rd annual charity roast, which raised $3.9 million to help underprivileged children, is dedicated to the memory of Al Smith, the four-term governor of New York who was the first Catholic to win the presidential nomination of a major political party. Sen. McCain, the Republican nominee, spoke first and wasted little time in poking fun of his own campaign. "This morning, I've dismissed my entire team of senior advisers," he told the who's who crowd of political and media elites. "All their positions will now be held by a man named Joe the Plumber." It was a reference to the everyman who Sen. McCain has highlighted as a victim of Sen. Obama's tax plan. Yes, Sen. McCain allowed, the Obama campaign says that Joe doesn't earn enough to be faced with a tax hike. "What they don't know is that Joe the Plumber recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses." That, a nod to the McCains' own properties, was the first of many self-deprecating moments, and Sen. McCain delivered the lines with enthusiasm. Television cameras showed Sen. Obama smiling wide and laughing with ease. When his turn came, Sen. Obama couldn't resist poor Joe either, suggesting that Joe the Plumber is likely to remain a part of political discourse for some time. "I do send regards to my running mate, Joe Biden, or as Sen. McCain has noted he now actually likes to be called Joe the Senator." Sen. McCain joked that because he is a friend and colleague of Sen. Obama, he has a nickname for him -- "I just call him 'that one'," a line that raised eyebrows when he used it in their second debate. The Arizona senator offered that Sen. Obama has a pet name for him as well: "George Bush." He said that even though he was in liberal Manhattan, he couldn't shake the feeling that some people in the room were pulling for him. "I'm delighted to see you tonight, Hillary," he said, and the cameras showed Sen. Hillary Clinton laughing along with the joke. He also noted former President Bill Clinton's absence. "Can't he take one night off from his tireless quest to make the man who defeated his wife the next president?" he said. For those who have seen the former president's lukewarm embrace of the Democratic nominee, no explanation was needed. Sen. McCain added that Mr. Clinton has subtly made the case for Sen. Obama; for instance, when asked if he was qualified to president, he said, "Sure, he's over 35 years of age and a U.S. citizen." He concluded with a set up for his rival, saying he had managed to get a peek at Sen. Obama's speech. "Just prepare yourself for nonstop hilarity. The funniest 15 minutes of your life," he said. "I think he knows that anything short of that would mar the evening, insult our hosts, perhaps even cost him several swing states…. Sen. Obama the microphone is all yours." Sen. Obama may not have been quite as sharp as Sen. McCain, but he did not disappoint. He opened by saying "there is no other crowd in America that I'd rather be palling around with right now," a reference to the McCain campaign's charge that he has "palled around" with a former domestic terrorist. But much of his humor was directed at himself. "I have to say tonight's venue isn't really what I'm used to. I was originally told we'd be able to move this outdoors to Yankee Stadium, and -- can somebody tell me what happened to the Greek columns that I requested?" he said. He said that he got his middle name, Hussein, "from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president." And he said: "I feel right at home here because it's often been said that I share the politics of Alfred E. Smith and the ears of Alfred E. Neuman." He also delivered some gentle jabs to the Republican ticket. "I do love the Waldorf-Astoria, though. You know, I hear that from the doorstep you can see all the way to the Russian Tea Room." Bill Clinton also took a punch or two from the Democratic nominee. "The mayor of this great city, Michael Bloomberg, is here," Sen. Obama said. "The mayor recently…made some news by announcing he's going to be rewriting the rules and running for a third term, which caused Bill Clinton to say, 'You can do that?'" And Sen. Obama joked about his frontrunner status and how he's benefited from the economic turmoil. "Recently, one of John's top advisers told the Daily News that if we keep talking about the economy, McCain's going to lose," Sen. Obama said. "So, tonight I'd like to talk about the economy." Both took the occasion to deliver kind words about the other, and both appeared genuine. "There are very few of us who have served this country with the same dedication and honor and distinction as Sen. McCain, and I'm glad to be sharing this space with him tonight, as I am during the course of this nomination," Sen. Obama said. Sen. McCain spoke of Sen. Obama's historic run for the White House. "Sen. Obama talks about making history and he's made quite a good bit of it already," he said. "There was a time when a mere invitation of an African American citizen to dine in the White House would be taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters. Today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. "I can't wish my opponent luck, but I can wish him well." It was that kind of night.
