Crusty comedian Lewis Black mocked Sarah Palin as a "fictional character" on CNN Wednesday, to an eruption of laughter from host Piers Morgan. "She's a fictional character that came to life. I'm serious. I think that someone wrote her," Black quipped.
Morgan played along with his act. "You couldn't invent someone like Sarah Palin, could you?" he asked the comedian, who hastily responded that Palin was "superfiction."
[Video below the break. Click here for audio.]
Black continued battering the conservative star's ascendency in 2008, which he coined as a sort of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" story. "But the fact is Jimmy Stewart would make a better candidate for the presidency than her," he remarked. "And he's dead."
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A transcript of the segment, which aired on September 28 at 9:22 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
PIERS MORGAN: Who do you most fear becoming the Republican nominee on the basis they could then become president?
MORGAN: Why?
BLACK: I don't think she exists.
MORGAN: What do you mean not exists?
BLACK: She doesn't exist. She's a fictional character.
(Laughter)
BLACK: She's a fictional character that came to life. I'm serious. I think that someone wrote her.
MORGAN: You couldn't invent someone like Sarah Palin, could you?
BLACK: Well, I mean, that's what really what makes her – it's superfiction. It's a whole – it's meta fiction. Whatever that means, America.
MORGAN: Why is she able to resonate with so many Americans in a positive way?
BLACK: Well, first off I don't know how many Americans. I think there are nine. Have you ever gotten a phone call from somebody asking you your opinion of anything?
MORGAN: No, but I'm British.
BLACK: OK. Well, no one's called me.
MORGAN: No one asks the British for any opinions any more.
BLACK: Yeah. Nobody's called me. No, I think – I mean there's certainly a group of people, you know, because she's a strong woman. You know, and she's – she certainly speaks her mind. But to think that she's going to – you know, as a president. You know, when she became the vice presidential candidate, I said this is all really great if it's like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." If this is a movie. But the fact is, is that Jimmy Stewart would make a better candidate for the presidency than her. And he's dead.
(Laughter)
