President Barack Obama has a loyal friend in The Late Show host David Letterman.
The comic, known for his stinging jabs at President George W. Bush, has held his fire when it comes to the current Commander in Chief. Letterman has typically bashed the GOP over the last five years, even rehashing Bush memes rather than poke fun at Obama.
Monday night Letterman dared to mock Obamacare, the president’s signature legislation, and he drew hearty laughs along the way.
“Let me ask you a question .. how many of you are only here because you had some trouble signing up for Obamacare, and instead you got tickets for this show,” he asked to a heady mix of laughter and applause. “I tried to sign up for Obamacare … you hear a lot of people having trouble. I had no trouble whatsoever. I signed right up and ordered six months of Mexican Viagra.”
When Letterman dabbles in the rare Obama joke he looks awkward, like an open-mic comic as opposed to someone with decades of television experience. During Monday’s telecast, Letterman seemed at ease, as if the very notion of telling a joke that could sting the president no longer bothered him.
Is it the start of a trend, or will Letterman return to hitting right-of-center targets as usual?