Leno: History Channel Considered Dick Cheney as Satan, Decided He Was Too Evil

Will Dick Cheney is evil jokes ever go out of style?

On NBC's Tonight Show Tuesday, host Jay Leno joked that the folks at the History Channel considered casting the former Vice President in the role of Satan in their hit miniseries The Bible, but they decided he was too evil (video follows with transcript and commentary):

JAY LENO: Oh, I mentioned this last night. There's a big controversy with the History Channel's miniseries The Bible. It seems the actor playing Satan bears an uncanny resemblance to President Obama. Did you hear about this? Actually, you know, they considered Dick Cheney for the role of Satan, but then they, they deemed him too evil. They said, “No, that's, it's got to be believable.”

Now in fairness to Leno, he has been quite an equal opportunity offender in his monologues in recent months.

As NewsBusters readers are well aware, Leno's even been taking shots at President Obama.

My beef here is more with the sophomoric, almost archaic nature of the joke.

Cheney is too evil to be Satan? Isn't that political satire's penultimate "Been there, done that?"