As has been documented repeatedly, celebrities just don't find much material for humor with Barack Obama. He's just so thoughtful, so articulate, so bright, so. . . Fill in the blank, as long as it's sufficiently worshipful.
With former President George W. Bush, it's just the opposite. Show biz types can't get enough of poking fun at him. This is true even at the National Geographic Bee. Yes, the National Geographic Bee. The Associated Press's story "Trebek Makes Bush Joke as Texas Teen Wins Geography Bee" details the latest:
The nation's top geography whiz breezed through questions about mountain ranges, rivers and world capitals Wednesday, but he was stumped when National Geographic Bee host Alex Trebek asked him to name one of his weaknesses."Um ..." said Eric Yang, 13, pausing. The Texas teen had just revealed to the "Jeopardy!" host how he crafts his own chess strategies and plays the piano.
"That's OK," Trebek replied. "You remind me of a former president, but we won't get into that."
Some in the audience at National Geographic's headquarters in Washington gasped. Others laughed. But the joke was on Trebek by the end of the hour as Eric took home the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship, beating out nine other boys in the finals without missing a single answer.
No doubt Trebek knows his "wit" will be appreciated by other celebrities. And he knows one other thing with certainty: Making fun of the former president won't place his job in Jeopardy.




















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Uh hoh geez....
May 20, 2009 - 20:50 ET by superconWhat a jerk.
I wish I could go through life with all the answer cards in my hand too because then I could look smarter than everyone else.Maybe Alex would like to compare his education to George Bush's?
Hey Janet Napolitano...I'm proud to be a Right-winger.
Yep it's easy to appear
May 20, 2009 - 21:27 ET by Dan DiegoYep it's easy to appear intelligent with all the answers provided, kinda like having a telepromter...
§ Alex...You look like Ralf MooCow in 20 years...
May 20, 2009 - 20:59 ET by TheSterPlease...
...Grow back the mustache.
Your intellect ain't helping you too much.
Ster.
I don't understand
May 20, 2009 - 21:05 ET by danebramageWhy do you assume he meant Bush?
Clinton was the one who immediately came to my mind.
Nixon
May 20, 2009 - 21:12 ET by obageegeeMy first thought was Nixon. I still don't get the reference
→ Piano
May 20, 2009 - 21:13 ET by Cool ArrowNixon's the one I remember playing piano.
"I was fighting a war in Iraq!" - Nancy Lugosi
Except that
May 20, 2009 - 21:20 ET by danebramagewhat the kid was stumbling over was Trebek's challenge to name one of his (the kid's) weaknesses. His slowness in coming up with one was what prompted Trebek's comment.
The former President who most strikes me as a guy who would have trouble coming up with one of his own weaknesses is Clinton. Nixon...yeah...maybe, but I don't think even he was that arrogant.
There are none so blind
May 20, 2009 - 22:06 ET by cocodrieThere are none so blind as those that refuse to see.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Why it was Bush
May 20, 2009 - 21:34 ET by Mike BatesWhy do you assume he meant Bush?
In an April, 2004 press conference, Bush was asked if he'd made mistakes. His answer irritated many liberals, who made a huge deal of it. The KC Star editorialized:
It was unsettling to watch President Bush fumble questions about his past mistakes . Asked to identify one during his Tuesday news conference , he couldn't think of any.
"This country wasn't on a war footing," he said, while declining to acknowledge any personal responsibility for the nation's vulnerability to terrorist attacks in 2001...
When asked what he might have done differently in Iraq, Bush was like a schoolboy caught off-guard by a tough question from the teacher: "I don't want to sound like I've made no mistakes I'm confident I have. ... Maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one."
Why, more than a year after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, should Bush need to be "quick on his feet" to come up with a single example of something he might have done differently there?
Ok
May 20, 2009 - 22:00 ET by danebramageThanks for clearing that up, Michael.
In light of that, it no longer seems an unfair presumption that Trebek was referring to Bush.
Oh no, danebramage
May 20, 2009 - 22:51 ET by Mike BatesThank YOU! :)
I haven't cared for Trebek
May 20, 2009 - 21:11 ET by bigtimerI haven't cared for Trebek for a long time, we watch Jeopardy a lot of the time, I have been seriously disgusted since Trebek announced at the top of his show once, quite awhile back, I'm speaking years now, how CBS along with the NYTs/CNN were all combining and working together, joining as one in other words, of course I am paraphrasing here, but you get the drift...
It disgusted me then, it still does.
...and he announced that so proudly.
He has been an subtle lefty on the show, and my gawd the questions/categories at times are so obvious it isn't funny with the political agenda.
JMHO
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
§ Howdy Bt, Cool...Answer: Who looks like Maddow in 20 years?
May 20, 2009 - 21:21 ET by TheSterQuestion: Alex Trebek.
Yeah personal knock...can't help it.
Ster.
I'm afraid I'm not personally qualified to confuse cats, but I can recommend an extremely good service.
Ster... Huh? Doubling
May 20, 2009 - 21:24 ET by bigtimerSter...
Huh?
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
§ Bt...Yeah!!! Age Progression Software!!!
May 20, 2009 - 21:33 ET by TheSterI can't make this stuff up!!
Alex = Rachel in 20 Years...
....Minus Moustache...
...Well...20 years can do things....
Ster.
I'm afraid I'm not personally qualified to confuse cats, but I can recommend an extremely good service.
Ster... ;-) Doubling down on
May 20, 2009 - 21:41 ET by bigtimerSter...
;-)
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
BT
May 21, 2009 - 00:49 ET by RukusI love Ster, God knows I do!
I love ya Ster, just don't understand all yer posts my freind, but I still love ya guy!
Keep stompin' those trolls dude! I love it! : )
Gary
Gettin' along is so much easier than buttin' heads. - My Dad
And funner too! - Me
Hi Rukus
May 21, 2009 - 00:58 ET by shawn228I like Ster too, but most his jokes are over my liberal head. I'm still trying to figure on what to do with a chicken after you see it.
He had my vote
I'm Canadian...and I got French in the bag
May 20, 2009 - 21:27 ET by Sefton...and my gawd the
questions/categories at times are so obvious...
A good drinking game (not me ofcourse) would be how many times during the course of Jeopardy Trebek will have a category involving the French language. I mean, even if it's french fries, Jacque Cousteau, Pepe LePew, you name it and he'll show you how fluent he is with the French language.
Just a sidenote.
What ?
May 20, 2009 - 21:25 ET by mandrakeI don't get it. I read the entire article and found no reason to believe Alex was referring to Bush. Are you folks getting paraniod?
Totally agree.
May 20, 2009 - 21:33 ET by danebramageTotally agree.
Think about it
May 20, 2009 - 21:42 ET by nkviking75Remember how the MSM whined that Bush could never admit any mistakes? If so, you might see why we'd think he meant Dubya.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Referring to Bush
May 20, 2009 - 21:40 ET by Mike BatesI read the entire article and found no reason to believe Alex was referring to Bush.
Other than the headline?
Mike... It was all but
May 20, 2009 - 21:45 ET by bigtimerMike...
It was all but obvious for anyone that read all you wrote...
Some people would never make it on good ol' Jep!
Referral to my link that is below. ;-)
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Well, BT
May 20, 2009 - 21:49 ET by Mike BatesIt was all but obvious for anyone that read all you wrote...
If reading items all the way through becomes a requirement around here, I'm in trouble.
...
May 20, 2009 - 22:09 ET by danebramagebt, I read everything he wrote three times before posting. Please point out what I missed. Until Michael explained in a subsequent post that Trebek was referring to an incident that occurred in 2004 involving Bush's inability to name anything he'd done wrong, I had no idea what possible connection Trebek's remark could have to Bush.
Reading it just now for the 4th time, I still don't see anything, other than an AP headline (which has zero credibility with me).
db... If you didn't
May 20, 2009 - 22:22 ET by bigtimerdb...
If you didn't understand what Trebek was saying then I really can't help here.
It is obvious.
Period.
In my opinion.
Unless there are those who refuse to see.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Sigh
May 20, 2009 - 23:23 ET by danebramageI'm ashamed I have to even say this, bt, but I'm on your side. In fact, there's a real good chance I'm much, much more conservative than you are. Ok? So I'm not being willfully dense here. I'm not looking to excuse Trebek, get him out of hot water, or any other silly thing you may be imagining.
What I want is for you or someone to point out to me where the explicit connection is between Trebek's statement and President Bush in the article above. The fact is, unless you already know about the incident that happened with Bush in 2004, there is none...and I didn't know about that incident when I made my post.
Is this sinking in yet? The problem is in the article, not in me--more specifically, it's in what Mike left out of his article.
Sorry to have to belabor this, but I do not like having eyes rolled at me and suggestions made that I'm so stupid I must have voted for Obama when the fault is not mine. If it is mine, then man up and point it out to me instead of trying to slink away. "It's obvious" is not a proof.
db... Whatever...if you
May 20, 2009 - 23:42 ET by bigtimerdb...
Whatever...if you see nothing it isn't my problem.
I'm moving on.
Let's leave it at that.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
I had another look. My
May 20, 2009 - 21:49 ET by mandrakeI had another look. My question now is..who created the headline? The link is to Fox News but the story is from AP. But who exactly created the headline???
mandrake... My question
May 20, 2009 - 22:12 ET by bigtimermandrake...
My question to you is ...
Did you finally get what the derogatory reference to Bush was or not?
You deflect and spin isn't going to work.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breadboard
BT
May 20, 2009 - 22:28 ET by mandrakeNo I didn't..I must be some kind of dense..can you please quote the exact phrase the referes to Bush? The headline doesn't count.
Michael,
May 20, 2009 - 22:00 ET by R D HelmAnd we wonder just how it came to be that Obama got hisself elected as the 44th POTUS.
And that Eric Yang kid is scary-smart, too.
LOL-I bet when he gets to college, he will be the only one left in his college algebra class once drop/add day comes around. That kid has curve-blower written all over him. :-)
-Dave
Well......
May 20, 2009 - 21:27 ET by sshuffield70he has been accused from time to time of being drunk on camera. No one buys it of course.
Nitpick: $500 hasn't been an official Jeopardy! amount since 2001-2002 season.
I think it's fairly obvious
May 20, 2009 - 21:33 ET by balboaI think it's fairly obvious that Trebek went to the Axelrod School of Joke Crafting.
§ Good one Bal!
May 20, 2009 - 21:36 ET by TheSterU got Skills!!
Lol.
Ster.
I'm afraid I'm not personally qualified to confuse cats, but I can recommend an extremely good service.
Enjoy! Doubling down on
May 20, 2009 - 21:40 ET by bigtimerEnjoy!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
§ ALERT!!! 4 ARRESTED IN PLOT TO BOMB NY TEMPLE!!
May 20, 2009 - 21:45 ET by TheSterON GRETTA.
Lets watch the MSM spin....
Ster.
I'm afraid I'm not personally qualified to confuse cats, but I can recommend an extremely good service.
§ Update: 9:30pm FOX News...
May 20, 2009 - 21:48 ET by TheSter....also planned to shoot down Govt Planes...
I'm watching this on FOX NEWS...Gretta anounced it.
This is BEFORE DRUDGE....
Developing...
Ster.
I'm afraid I'm not personally qualified to confuse cats, but I can recommend an extremely good service.
Okay... This is
May 20, 2009 - 22:39 ET by JerOkay...
This is thoroughly unsubstantiated, but I have heard that Trebek has stated--maybe in the autobiographical book he authored--that he had never been particularly impressed by a single Jeopardy contestant other than Chuck Forrest, the blond-haired guy who was a grand champion years ago. This predated the change in format and Ken what's-his-name remaining undefeated for months and winning a fortune. There was an all-time challenge of champions a few years ago, and some dude from Pittsburg completely waxed everybody, including Ken what's-his-name, Chuck Forrest and all of the other top Jeopardy eggheads.
Jer
Jer......
May 21, 2009 - 08:30 ET by sshuffield70That would be Brad Rutter, who hasn't lost on Jeopardy. And has won more money than even Ken.
sshuffield70 Was Rutter
May 21, 2009 - 09:06 ET by Jersshuffield70
Was Rutter the champion of champion several years ago? He had dark hair, kind of sharp features, looked to be maybe mid to late-30's to early 40's in age, and possessed the most encyclopedic knowledge of any contestant I have ever seen on any quiz show ever. He completely trounced Ken, who had received all the publicity for being undefeated for so long. Of course when Rutter? had originally appeared, winners were limited to five days.
Jer
Indeed....
May 21, 2009 - 12:18 ET by sshuffield70He won over 3 million on Jeopardy.
2 million from the Ultimate Tournament (with Ken)
1 million from the Million Dollar Masters Tournament
Plus regular winnings and TOC win of his season.
And I recall how he trounced Ken in the finals.
mandrake... Here:
May 20, 2009 - 22:43 ET by bigtimermandrake...
Here: "That's OK," Trebek replied. "You remind me of a former president, but we won't get into that."
Now if you didn't get that ...there is no hope.
I'm done dancing the Two-Step with you...if you can't comprehend what the obvious inference was...then you fit this bill.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
If Trebek had been
May 20, 2009 - 22:51 ET by JerIf Trebek had been responding to the kid's listing of his interests or hobbies, I would have guessed he was referring to Nixon. But, if Trebek's quip came after the kid's pause when asked about weaknesses, then I would think it an obvious reference to Bush.
Jer
As someone else pointed out
May 20, 2009 - 22:54 ET by mandrakeAs someone else pointed out the only former president known to play piano was Nixon. Therefore I win :-P
Sorry, mandrake... Nixon
May 20, 2009 - 22:58 ET by JerSorry, mandrake...
Nixon was probably the most accomplished, but Truman could also play, and I understand Bush could bang out a very entertaining "Chopsticks".
Jer
Nixon wasn't the only one
May 20, 2009 - 23:00 ET by Mike BatesAs someone else pointed out the only former president known to play piano was Nixon. Therefore I win :-P
Harry Truman did also. There's a famous pic of him playing with Lauren Bacall sitting on the piano.
Thanks for reminding me I
May 20, 2009 - 23:05 ET by mandrakeThanks for reminding me I should keep my nose out of things where it doesn't belong..Canadian go home :-)
Wasn't Pierre Trudeau
May 20, 2009 - 23:12 ET by JerWasn't Pierre Trudeau pretty well-known for his playing?
Jer
Harry was "playing with
May 20, 2009 - 23:08 ET by JerHarry was "playing with Lauren Bacall"? No wonder he was grinning from ear to ear.
Jer
Jer
May 20, 2009 - 23:11 ET by Mike BatesI just KNEW someone would take that and run with it. If you need any more straight lines, just let me know.
I will Michael...
May 20, 2009 - 23:17 ET by JerI only wish Marilyn Monroe were still around to sing Happy Birthday to me.
Jer
Marilyn Monroe and Jer
May 21, 2009 - 08:58 ET by Mike BatesI only wish Marilyn Monroe were still around to sing Happy Birthday to me.
If she were, she'd be about 83, Jer. If you're really interested, though, you could probably look to a nearby old folks' home for a reasonable facsimile.
Well, If they're willing to pop
May 21, 2009 - 09:14 ET by JerWell, if they're willing to pop out of a birthday cake and breathlessly sing "Happy Birth-day, Mr. Jer..er..er", I'm not too picky about age these days.
Jer
I'm pretty sure, Jer
May 21, 2009 - 09:18 ET by Mike Batesthey can easily handle your breathlessly singing requirement.
Hmm...disconnect the oxygen
May 21, 2009 - 09:32 ET by JerHmm...disconnect the oxygen tank. Good point.
Jer
Michael and Jer...
May 21, 2009 - 10:39 ET by RukusLOL! You guys are killin' me this morning! Too funny!
Happy... (sssssssst) Birthday... (sssssssst) Jer. (ssssssssst)
Sick humor, yeah, I know. : )
Gary
Gettin' along is so much easier than buttin' heads. - My Dad
And funner too! - Me
Getting a litle lefty?
May 20, 2009 - 22:47 ET by jaywlI subscribed to both the National Geographic and the Smithsonian magazine for several years. Both are excellent and enjoyable. Here's the however: I began to notice articles that really didn't pertain to what I thought they should have. Articles like "
Venezuela According to Chávez
Hugo Chávez won the presidency of Venezuela by a landslide in 1998. Has he also won the hearts of his people?Sorry about the formatting, but this was a typical article I thought might be more appropriate in the NYT. This was in the National Geographic! The Smithsonian has published Darwin vs Lincoln vs Slavery all with my preception of bias, the "history" of Lebanon since 2005 and similar articles over the years concerning the Polar Bears, climate change, etc. I don't know if I became just another right wing nutcase, but I did take offense at some of the positions taken, at the seeming change in the mission of the magazines, and at the idea that my dollar was helping to present some of the drivel. I tend not to be hasty, so about two years after I realized the change had taken place I did not renew. Were I a significant person, I would expect all manner of correction, attack, and a deluge of data, exemplars, and mail concerning my lack of the basic human brain. I am not, so there!
Evening jaywl... I
May 20, 2009 - 22:56 ET by bigtimerEvening jaywl...
I suspect you did what tons have us have done incrementally in the past and will continue to do so in the future, depending on your age and experiences in life, we have done the same here...it has been a crying shame too, what we are talking about here is they could have had it all, but their real agenda was to deep...thus they are losing subscriptions, agenda matters first and foremost...at all costs.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Ooh! Big Tough Guy Alex!
May 20, 2009 - 23:10 ET by mizflame98Whether Alex meant Bush or not is neither here nor there. What ticks me off is this grown man insulting a 13 year old at a national competition and embarassing him. Does that make Alex a real man to pick on middle-schoolers? How pathetic!!!
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds”
Samuel Adams
I would kick his
May 20, 2009 - 23:30 ET by general companyfanny, when you put it like that!!
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Hey mizflame... Point
May 20, 2009 - 23:49 ET by bigtimerHey mizflame...
Point well taken gal!
I sure thank you.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
I did not know he was talking about President Bush..
May 20, 2009 - 23:43 ET by shawn228...until one of the other posters pointed out why. It wasn't a seriously mean spirited joke, no biggie.
He had my vote
They like the idea of BHO
May 21, 2009 - 01:20 ET by RR GOPThey like the idea of BHO and Marxism.
That neither works out is immaterial.
If we lived in a traditionally Leftist country these knuckleheads would be in love with Rush Limbaugh.
They will be contrary to whatever the status quo is. What's truly amusing/sickening is that in a Socialist system high-paying jobs like theirs wouldn't even exist.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
MMB, cut Trebek a break
May 21, 2009 - 03:00 ET by snaggletoothieMMB, cut Trebek a break already. That line will always be associated with Bush because Bush said it. Sure the MSM twisted it. But media twisting and lying will be more closely associated with the Age of Bush than this line.
Now, can I have MSM cover ups for Obama for a thousand?
Everybody be nice to Mr.
May 21, 2009 - 05:53 ET by HockeyKidEverybody be nice to Mr. Treebark. He's much better than the rest of us, as clearly indicated by his career reading questions and answers--written by others--on TV for a quarter century.
A: This celebrity attended a military academy, but washed out after only 6 days.
Q: Who is...Woody Allen?
Host: Ohh... No. It's me. "Alex Trebek" is the correct answer.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
The Real Answer
May 21, 2009 - 06:53 ET by owr084I can't believe you all missed who trebek was talking about. He clearly meant Lyndon Baines Johnson!
Even If.....
May 21, 2009 - 10:28 ET by GeneralAlEven if Tribeck didn't mean President Bush, I've had it with all the insults and garbage leveled at this decent American man! What examples the Communist Democrat party puts forth for morality!
Barney Fag, Digger O'Harry, Morticia Pelousy, Chris Dung, Teleprompter Obamessiah, Ted the Swimmer, Michael Moore and Moore and Moore and Moore, Alec Baldbrain, Jane Fondacoms, Al NotSharpButDumb, Jesse Jackass [Sr. and Jr.!], and the list goes on!
Liberal Communist Panzies, put a plastic bag over your head and see if you can get rid of your hiccups! Oops! I mean paper bag!
If he meant Bush, it was a stupid joke.
May 21, 2009 - 15:29 ET by jawebster1As far as I know, Bush is not known for his piano and chess playing. Maybe he meant it as a compliment for Nixon or Truman, both of whom played the piano? Jim Webster
Pompous AT
May 22, 2009 - 07:13 ET by TangoUniformI have personally met Mr. Trybeck twice. And I have to say, in person, he is a bigger pompous ass then on tv. This man if so full of self importance it is comical. The fact that the kid was from Texas furthur illustrates that Mr. Pompous was refering to Bush. Pompous-"full of ostentatious dignity and self importance."
Idiot
May 26, 2009 - 14:31 ET by axslingerAlex Trabek is a loser who lived with his mommy until he was in his 30's.