As part of his relentless campaign to paint Obama as a celebrity and himself as a man of the people, John McCain appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" Monday night. Both Jay and John made the predictable jokes about the candidate's age ("My Social Security number is 8," was McCain's big laffer) and traded barbs about Joe Biden. But when Leno went back to the hack-well for a gag about McCain's many homes, it was McCain himself who came back with this topper:

Could I just mention to you, Jay, that in a moment of seriousness I spent five and a half years in a prison cell. I didn't have a house, I didn't have a kitchen table, I didn't have a table, I didn't have a chair.

Ah, yes, the greatest punchline of all: the old POW chestnut! This can't-miss zinger has become a staple of McCain's comedy, not just because it's hilarious but because you can use it in countless situations. Check out the video of McCain on Leno below, then click for an inside look at McCain's POW joke book.

1 2 3 > 1 2 3 > Posted by: Kevin Allocca and Jason Reich