Last year it was whether he had insulted Sarah Palin by questioning if John McCain was trying to put "lipstick on a pig." But this year, President Barack Obama had some real controversies to clear up.
"First of all, I think it's important to remember that I was actually black before the election," Obama told David Letterman today, during his first Late Show sit-down since being elected.
"Really!" exclaimed the veteran talk-show host, to which the commander in chief replied, deadpan, "It's true."
"How long have you been a black man?" Letterman then asked. He had set off the joke by asking Obama whether he feels some of the more spiteful reactions to his health-care agenda have been racially motivated.
It was a very funny exchange in the midst of a longer discourse that touched on some dire subjects, such as health care, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the U.S. economy. (And what was either Sasha lurking behind a couch in the Oval Office or "a breach of security we didn't know about.")
But it's nice that the president can take a moment out of his schedule to laugh at himself, while also, he can hope, reaching out to his constituents.
Then again, Dave knew the real reason why Obama agreed to visit his show.
Actually, there were 10 reasons provided by Letterman, including: "Thought it would be fun to watch someone else get heckled," "We told him Megan Fox would be here," and "Said yes without thinking...like Bush did with Iraq."
And, of course, there was the heart-shaped potato.
"You carry heart-shaped potatoes with you?" Obama asked Mary Apple, an extremely honored member of the audience who had brought her specially shaped spud with her to the Ed Sullivan Theater.
"Well, thank you so much for sharing," he said.
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Dave Letterman tends to stay under the radar about such things, but check out all the celebs who have been out and proud in their support for Obama.