*Palin cracks wise at Gridiron dinner* By: Jeanne Cummings and Andrew Glass December 5, 2009 09:43 PM EST
Sarah Palin's 11-minute speech before Washington's Gridiron Club at its
Winter Dinner Saturday night tossed a few barbs at the gathering of
journalists, who she compared to "death panels."
"Sometimes you got to trust your instincts, and if you don't, you end up
in a place like this," said the former GOP vice presidential candidate.
While the Gridiron winter meeting is usually a small, low key affair,
Palin's appearance attracted a crowd of 195 --- about double the average
attendance of Gridiron members and their guests.
These ho-hum media values, however, were upended when Rep. Barney Frank,
a liberal, openly gay Democratic congressman from Massachusetts was
matched up with Palin, the perky and pretty former governor of Alaska.
For Palin, fortune followed fame when she became the darling of the
populist wing of the Republican Party as the 2008 GOP's
vice-presidential nominee.
Palin, in a smart black suit with what appeared to be a fur-lined purse,
showed up to burnish her political credentials after a stop in Fairfax
for her nationwide tour to flog her bestselling book, "Going Rogue."
Frank was also in full biographical dress: "Barney Frank: The Story of
America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman," by Stuart Weisberg
was published in September.
During the cocktail hour, Frank held court by the appetizers, while
Palin set up about 20 feet away by the ballroom doors.
Addressing the crowd of journalists, the former Alaska governor poked
fun at the penchant of political reporters to leaf through campaign book
indexes to find their names, noting that she decided to skip the index
on her book.
So, at the dinner, she created one: "A: Alaska, media not understanding
it, page 1-432.
"B: Biased, Page 1-432."
But Palin also took the opportunity to take a few shots at her running
mate from last year, and also her Democratic rival.
"The view is so much better inside the bus than under the bus," she
said, neatly putting together a reference to her book tour and a crack
at the former ticket mate, And if she ever need a bald campaign manager,
"I'm left with James Carville," a reference to President Clinton's 1992
campaign manager and a dig at Steve Schmidt, McCain's manager in 2008.
Staying with the book theme, she joked that "If the election had turned
out differently, I could be the one overseeing the signing of bailout
checks, and Vice President Biden could be on the road selling his book,
'Going Rogaine.'"
As President Barack Obama, Palin joked that she was looking at a
magazine cover of Obama and Chinese President Hu Jinato during an
airplane flight. A nearby passenger stated, "Hu's the Communist," she
related.
And, Palin said, "I thought he was asking a question."
This is the first year that Gridiron officers have dropped the
off-the-record rule that had been in place for more than a century.
Modest twittering was permitted, though not during the speeches or
songs. At a morning meeting, the officers explained that the change is a
bow to media realities -- the rule was often broken and Palin's
appearance was certain to leak anyway.
As was the case with the spring dinner, the event remained closed to
general media coverage so that only reporters who are members of the
club or their invited guests could cover the proceedings. In theory, no
photographs were allowed; in practice, shooters abounded.
As for her own presidential ambitions. Palin was mum.. She did tell the
crowd that on Sunday she'd be in Iowa --- "from noon to three at Barnes
and Noble. Come early, long lines are expected."
The night closed with the Gridiron Singers rendition of the 12 Days of
Christmas, with gifts bestowed by a certain Ruth Limbaugh rather than
the traditional "True Love."
"On the first day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: A Marxist in a
dead tree.
On the second day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Two tea-bag
goons.
On the third day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Three hell-no's
On the fourth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Four bawling
Becks
On the fifth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Five Sarah
swoon-ins
On the sixth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Six health care
death squads
On the seventh day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Seven
bug-eyed birthers
On the eight day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Eight Cheney
boomlets
On the ninth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Nine ACORN busters
On the tenth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Ten thundering
mossbacks
On the eleventh day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: Eleven loony
liberals
On the twelfth day of Christmas, Rush Limbaugh gave to me: twelve
flaming liberals, hunted down in the wild and field dressed, medium
well-done, seared on the fatty edges---"
And then Palin joined the chorus for the final line:
"Right next to the mashed potatoes," she sang.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
<http://www.irides.com>
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