Bill Clinton Gridiron Dinner: Former President Jokes About Democrats, Republicans, And Himself

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton poked fun at Republicans, Democrats, his own health and his audience of reporters Saturday night, telling the Gridiron Club's annual dinner he was there because "I really didn't have anything much better to do tonight."

Clinton, who stood in for President Barack Obama, said Democrats are going to pass health care.

"It may not happen in my lifetime, or Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said referring to his and the former to vice president's heart ailments.

Obama, who's preparing for Sunday's probable House vote on health care reform, spoke to the dinner via videotape, saying that when he called Clinton to stand in for him, the former president said, "Let me clear my schedule for the next three years."

The dinner marked the 125th annual gathering of the Gridiron Club, whose members include Washington based reporters.

In another reference to his health, Clinton said his favorite cocktail now was "Lipitor on the rocks," referring to the widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering medicine.

He said that when Obama appeared recently on Fox News the president was "keeping his word about meeting with hostile leaders without preconditions."

In a poke at Obama's combative chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the former president said, "I found Rahm. I created him. I made him what he is today. I am so sorry."

In the 1990s, Emanuel worked in Clinton's White House.

Comments

[mamacat]

02:37 PM on 03/23/2010

Carter, Clinton, Obama......all have a good sense of humor. Thank you guys.

[Josh Novess]

11:57 AM on 03/23/2010

There was no video of this available?

[dessertsfirst]

01:05 AM on 03/23/2010

What a performance! Love it!

[FHTB]

12:10 AM on 03/23/2010

In a poke at Obama's combative chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the former president said, "I found Rahm. I created him. I made him what he is today. I am so sorry."

Bill, I love ya, but you SHOULD be sorry for Rahm...we don't need our own version of a scheming, conniving, backstabber like The Republitards have in Karl Rove...

[LumberjackAR]

04:15 PM on 03/23/2010

Sure we do, fight fire with fire. We need Rahmbo to cut thru the GOP bs. No holds barred!

[Niet]

08:17 PM on 03/22/2010

Ugh! Why did Huffpo make it so difficult to go back and see if anyone commented on your comments? This new commenting method SUCKS. Makes it impossible to carry on a conversation.

Listen moderators: the comments section is the ONLY reason I frequent huffingtonpost. If you make it any more difficult, I'll just get my news elsewhere because your reporting and over hyped headlines just aren't worth my time.

[ThirdSection]

01:25 AM on 03/23/2010

+1

[Allie C]

06:10 PM on 03/22/2010

I loved Bill Clinton's joke about Rahm. Unfortunately, it wasn't a joke....it was all true.

[FHTB]

12:11 AM on 03/23/2010

Yes, sadly...Bill why, why WHY! (LOL)...

[Allie C]

12:24 PM on 03/23/2010

LOL. Great sense of humor. Thanks for the laugh. : )

[BetsyC]

11:56 AM on 03/22/2010

The joke about Gore equating spring with proof of global warming was epic!

[SShaw490]

11:48 AM on 03/22/2010

I can't imagine a better former president/Secretary of State couple than the Clintons right now. Whatever went before, was before. I'm worried about now - and the Clintons are a Godsend right now.

[KJLSanDiego]

01:34 PM on 03/22/2010

I heart Hil Dog!

[syl1969]

07:52 PM on 03/22/2010

I missed him every single, solitary, day of the Bush administration!!! Wanted another Clinton in White House too!

[pixy242a]

09:47 AM on 03/22/2010

Great. Now unleash him to explain the advantages of Health Reform -- to counter the negative spin of the GOP and corporate media. He is truly the great communicator.

[coolaid8]

05:05 PM on 03/22/2010

It depends on the what the definition of "reform" is.

[FHTB]

12:14 AM on 03/23/2010

Bill is truly an amazing speaker, not like Obama, certainly, but always knows his stuff, to the point of wonkiness, which is fine by me...Bill, Obama needs you to stump the country when you have some time from your charitable work.

[capitalismisevil]

07:57 AM on 03/22/2010

Here is another guy that really "killed" during billy's administration:

http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/bagosora.html

Of course, billy helped this by doing less than nothing to stop him.

[armyman72]

08:23 AM on 03/22/2010

Nice try at a rewrite.

[capitalismisevil]

09:19 AM on 03/22/2010

What did I rewrite? Just always like to remind the libs of billy's inaction in stopping the genocide against black people in Rwanda in 1994. billy even knew the genocide was coming. Do you not like to discuss historical fact?

Of course when there was a genocide against non-blacks in Kosovo, THEN billy had to stop it.

One million people in 100 days. Billy did less than nothing.

[capitalismisevil]

03:23 PM on 03/22/2010

Yep, just like a lib, I understand you are not permitted to agree with anyone who criticizes billy clinton or any other dem.

[sviolette]

06:33 PM on 03/22/2010

Been bagging long?

[capitalismisevil]

05:45 AM on 03/23/2010

That is your only response? Seriously?

Do not like to hear about the Rwandan genocide?

[dhrama]

07:52 AM on 03/22/2010

A little heads-up that there is no video or link to a video would be of tremendous service to the reader.

[Deli]

04:23 AM on 03/22/2010

"It may not happen in my lifetime, or Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said referring to his and the former to vice president's heart ailments.

That's going down as one of the best quotes of all time.

[PhilipTaylor]

06:54 AM on 03/22/2010

Let's keep Clinton around for FUN!

[ClaudiaL]

03:01 AM on 03/22/2010

Nancy Pelosi is my hero, but I love you, Bill.

[Paladin2]

02:54 AM on 03/22/2010

“If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the government's ability to govern the people, we should look to limit those guarantees.”
-President Bill Clinton, August 12, 1993

"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans" -- Bill Clinton in 1993 from USA Today

"The purpose of government is to rein in the rights of the people" -- Bill Clinton 1993 on MTV

The Democrat party and it's members seem to know the price of everything and the value of nothing. The Repugs are just batspit crazy. What's your excuse?

[HC4BO]

03:21 AM on 03/22/2010

I'm an opponent of teabagging ???

[afgail]

05:31 AM on 03/22/2010

Don't believe any of the above quotes. Just another example of GOP disinformation. You guys can't stop trying to damage any Democratic president, living or dead, and the lack of truth or evidence is no impediment.

[noladeb]

02:44 AM on 03/22/2010

I love you President Clinton!!!!

[Angiefranci]

10:59 AM on 03/23/2010

Yeah, whenever I hear him speak I miss him being president. Not as much now that Obama is president, but I was always near tears when I heard him speak when Bush was president.