Obama to make press dinner debut

[emad]

By Jon Donnison
BBC News, Washington

Depending on your point of view, the White House Correspondents' Dinner is either a great party where journalists get to press the flesh and network with the rich and famous - not to mention powerful - or a huge jolly that highlights just how cosy the relationship between the media and politicians has become.

The dinner is an annual event stretching back to 1920, hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association.

Usually the president is the guest of honour. The first president to attend was Calvin Coolidge back in 1924.

This year's event, on Saturday, is attracting particular attention given that it is the first during Barack Obama's presidency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8041377.stm

[Cant trust em]

1. The Colbert dinner a few years ago was legendary.

I think it will go down as one of the indelible moments of the Bush Presidency.

[muffin1]

It STILL makes me laugh!

I watched it multiple times, and even printed it out for friends (who still laugh).
Brilliant, simply brilliant...and to perform it only a few feet away from shrub!}(

[Cha]

8. It would be hard to ever

top that one for the sheer joy of having a voice from out in the Wilderness from one Stephen Colbert..boy, did he infiltrate them.

This year's will be amazing just from having Prez Obama there and not having to look at the goperverts(mediawhores) covert with karl rove.

Who can forget the year rove screamed "DON'T TOUCH ME!!" at Sheryl Crow?

[pnorman]

2. Hee's an earlier such affair, by O'Bama's (Chicken-Hawk) predecessor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKX6luiMINQ

pnorman

[Catshrink]

3. Time and coverage

cspan will start at 6 EST with the "arrivals". The dinner starts at 8 EST.

http://cspan.org/

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. I'm in a pretty dark place right now.....

but the first thing I think of when I hear/see this event is ..... how in the hell can you people host and populate this event when so many in America are suffering so badly. It reeks of monarchy. It was even worse when it was Monkeyboy up there being hosted by a bunch of sycophants. Now it just smells of haves and have nots.

[CakeGrrl]

5. Small concession, but this year they're foregoing dessert and giving the $$$ to homeless shelters.

n/t

[Ocracoker16]

6. The money is going to So Others Might Eat (SOME) whichs is more than a homeless shelter

SOME offers a wide variety of services for the homeless and poor of DC. Skipping desert will allow $13,140 to be donated. The White House Corespondents Association which hosts the event will donate $10,000 to SOME in addition to the sholarships they always give out.

[CakeGrrl]

7. Thx for the correction - I knew it was being donated to a good cause. n/t

[Diamonique]

9. The dinner traditionally pays for scholarships.

And this year they're foregoing dessert and giving that money to an organization to help feed the homeless.

[SamCooke]

10. I would hate to have to tell jokes in front of that crowd

[4lbs]

11. Wanda Sykes is doing it this year. She'll have no problem ripping apart people in the audience.

:D

[SamCooke]

12. For some reason I'm watching the arrivals on CSPAN, these people look really boring