Obama Takes Shot At Ted Cruz During WHCD Speech (VIDEO)

Obama Takes Shot At Ted Cruz

President Barack Obama devoted a small sliver of his 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner speech to take a jab at freshman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Obama slipped in a Karl Marx reference, tying it to the Tea Party favorite who has drawn comparisons to Cold War stalwart Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.).

"Groucho Marx once said -- and, Senator Cruz, that’s Groucho Marx, not Karl," Obama said. "That’s the other guy," drawing laughter from the crowd.

Obama proceeded with the actual Groucho Marx reference, which was credit to his quote: "Before I speak, I have something important to say."

Cruz has shot back at critics, specifically The New York Times, saying in February that any McCarthyism criticism may "be a sign" that conservatives are "doing something right."

New York Times columnist David Brooks put his two cents in last week, going so far as to say that Cruz' face physically resembles that of McCarthy.

"If you mention the name Ted Cruz to other senators, you just get titanic oceans of eye rolling," said Brooks last Sunday. "Because you're a freshman, you don't go in and take over hearings, you, like, hang around and learn how it's done. And it's like the most unconservative act to come in, two weeks into the job, and decide that the Senate exists for you to take it over. And so I think he's made a lot of enemies. It doesn't help that he has a face that looks a little like Joe McCarthy, actually. I just -- I find him a little off-putting."

Watch a video of Obama's joke above, and check out a slideshow of photos from the event below:

White House Correspondents' Dinner 2013

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