I knew Bo, the First Dog, would factor into a few punchlines at tonight's White House Correspondents' Association dinner. President Barack Obama only mentioned Bo by name once, but the Portuguese water dog puppy was a presence in two of his jokes. Bo got off easier than Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh or Larry Summers. The jokes were more political than pet-oriented, but here they are:
-- "All this change hasn't been easy. Change never is. So I've cut the tension by bringing a new friend to the White House. He's warm, he's cuddly, loyal, enthusiastic. You just have to keep him on a tight leash. Every once in a while, he goes charging off in the wrong direction and gets himself into trouble. But enough about Joe Biden."
-- "In the next 100 days, we will house train our dog Bo, because the last thing Tim Geithner needs is someone else treating him like a fire hydrant."
Wild woman Wanda Sykes (above), who was the featured entertainer at the event, closed with a joke that mentioned the First Dog:
-- "They even gave you grief about the dog, about Bo. You know, animal rights people on you, 'Why didn't you get a rescue dog? Why didn't you get a rescue dog?' Look, the man has to rescue a country that's been abused by its previous owner. Let him have a fresh start with a dog."
Photo by Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times
