dick cheney was supposed to be here, but he is very busy working on his memoirs, tentively titledow t shoot friends and interrogate people. [ laughter ] i am craig melvin, with live coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. that was president obama taking a shot at dick cheney at his first appearance. we are looking at the president the past few years. >> i would like to welcome you to the ten day anniversary of my

first 100 days. i am barack obama. most of you cover me. all of you voted for me. [ laughter ] apologies to the fox table. where are they? i have to confess, i really did not want to be here tonight, but i knew i had to come. just one more problem that i've inherited from george w. bush. haha. but now that i'm here, it's great to be here, great to see all of you. michelle obama is here. [ applause ] first lady of the united states. hasn't she been an outstanding

first lady? [ applause ] she's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long because no matter which party you belong to, we can all agree that michelle has the right to bear arms. and you might have heard, we passed a health care bill. [ applause [ applause ] is that roger hales applauding out there? some republicans suggest the bill contains a few secret provisions and that's ridiculous. there aren't a few secret provisions in the health care plan, there are like hundreds. tonight in the interest of transparency, i would like to share a couple. let's see. this provision is called the bay

state of denial. iteahis bill should cover short term memory loss related to the passage of massachusetts health care reform. so good news, mitt, your condition is covered. haha. this next provision is called the jersey shore up. it reads the following individuals shall be excluded from the indoor tanning tax within this bill. snooki, jay wow, the situation, and house minority leader john boehner. [ laughter ] this provision ought to put a common misconception to rest. it says right here if you do not like the ruling of your death

panel, you can appeal. michele bachmann is here i understand, she's thinking about running for president, which is weird because i hear she was born in canada. yes, micheliga michele, this is starts. just letting you know. [ applause ] tim pawlenty, he seems all american, but have you heard his real middle name? tim hose knee pawlenty? what a shame. my buddy, our outstanding

ambassador, jon huntsman is with us. now, there's something you might not know about jon. he didn't learn to speak chinese to go there. oh no. he learned english to come here. and then there's a vicious rumor floating around that i think could really hurt mitt romney. i heard he passed universal health care when he was governor of massachusetts? someone should get to e bottom of that. now, if i do win a second term as president, let me just say something to all of the -- [ applause ] -- let me just say something to all my conspiracy oriented friends on the right who think i'm planning to unleash some

secret agenda. you're absoluty right. sollow me to close with a quick preview of the secret agenda you can expect in a second obama administration. in my first term, i sang al green. in my second term, i'm going with young geezee. michelle says yeah. [ laughter ] i sing that to her sometimes. in my first term, we ended the war in iraq. in my second term i will win the war on christmas. in my first term we repealed the policy known as don't ask, don't

tell. [ applause ] wait though. in my second term, we will replace it with a policy known as it's raining men. >> joining me for coverage in d.c., we have national political reporter for the national journal, alicia corals, and dean, political comedian. do you think the president has gotten better over the years or has he always had this type of stage presence? >> yeah, i think he's kind of gotten into the groove a little more, like was mentioned earlier, he doesn't have another term to run on. i think he can settle into his groove, take the shots that maybe he would have been hesitant to take before. yeah. i think his presence changed a bit with these events. >> were you on the red carpet. what was the scene like? >> the scenario was crazy. before i do that, two of you got it, need clarification, i did not mean this is the last time he will attend, last of his term.

the term for his four years. >> people on twitter were confused. >> y'all got it. putting it out there, type a. red carpet was different than other years because the secret service was more -- it was more tight, so the dogs came, it was extremely tight on the red carpet, but there's a lot more press. so it was very celebrity oriented, people are excited, energy was higher than other years. >> we will talk about what the event was and what it has become in a few minutes. dean, does the material that the president delivers, does it come from his minds alone or does he have a team of his usual speech writers, bringing in writers from snl? how does this come about? >> if you read about it, the president will always hire writers. he is president of the united states, he is leader of the free world, he is busy, he will hire good writers. had a friend wrote jokes when seth meyers was doing the white house correspondents' dinner a couple years ago, and the president will choose the ones

he likes, he will tweak them if he wants. he will even ad lib. i think he is the best comedian at doing what he does. you see he sold that joke about michele bachmann. he had ice in his eyes. fire in his eyes. that's what makes the joke funnier. you don't know if he is putting it on for us or that's how he really feels, in any event, it works. alicia, watched you on e! streaming. you were great. >> thank you. we all dressed up for you. >> so past acts, they haven't been shy at all about taking on the president himself. >> mr. president, you remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? that was hilarious. [ laughter ] that was the best one yet. >> you on the other hand, mr. president, have aged a little. what happened to you?

when you were sworn in, you looked like the guy from the old spice commercials. now you look like louis gossett senior. >> i forgot about that. is there a line when it comes to joking about the president? >> i mean, it is the president of the united states, so you can't go over the line too far, but i think as we've seen, he's joked about the birth certificate controversy, where he was born, those sorts of jokes are fair game. but there is a line of decorum. i saw an interview with conan o'brien, he was talking about this and talking about how at some point you have to tune out the fact that the president is sitting right there, listening to your act, so you can just deliver. >> dean, how do you determine that line? how do you avoid becoming one of the habitual line crossers. >> that's a tough one. you have to remember, president obama has drones. you really don't want to piss the man off.

don't know what will happen. i think no matter what, you make fun of someone to their face, it is difficult in front of an audience. you're doing it to the leader of the free world. on the other side, everyone knows it is a roast. there's pressure for the president to laugh at jokes made, if he doesn't, he looks stiff and uptight. this isn't a sleepy show on cspan, it is everywhere. tomorrow, conan o'brien's monologue will be revealed by every media outlet. this is up there with the oscars, emmys, golden globes, one of the most challenging places for a comedian to perform. >> after last year's dinner, my colleague, mentor, tom brokaw questioned whether journalists should even attend the event. this is what he had to say earlier on politico. >> there was more dignity at my daughter's junior prom than there is what i am seeing on cspan here. then we got to that point where

everyone had to bring in whatever page six celebrity happened to be around. for me, the breaking point was lindsay lohan, became a big star at the white house correspondents' dinner. give me a break. >> tom brokaw wouldn't be secretary/treasurer of lindsay lohan's fan club. what do you make of the larger point, that this spiralled into something that's full of conflict. >> it is kind of uncomfortable. you have a bunch of journalists together. it is not so much hobnobbing, looking friendly toward the president as much as the weird celebrity element thrown into there. i don't, maybe you can speak about that. i saw cy was there. and i saw there was a huge mob around him. >> exactly. that's the point. last year i was there, interviewed lindsay lohan and the kardashians, greta van sus ter enbrought them, and she brought attention to the white house correspondents' dinner. so people that don't usually watch cspan were tuning in.

it was everywhere last year. i understand what tom brokaw is saying. but we have listened to politicians all year, listen to them lie, don't lie, their scandals, mix it with hollywood, loosen up a little, tom, i get his point 100%, not disrespecting him, as a journalist though, you know, it's crossed the line a little, but loosen up, it is one night. >> they point to the amount of money raised for scholarships, $100,000. in fact right now i understand if we can take this live picture, we have part of the awards presentation going on right now. i mean, it is a scholarship dinner. but i think part of the concern is that the scholarship dinner portion has become completely usurped by what has become for all practical intents and purposes a spectacle. >> but look how much they raised. barbara streisand was there, and it is not often you have the president of the nra and barbara

in one room. so things go on there, deals happen. i think there's a line that's crossed. >> my understanding they raised a considerable amount compared to last year, but definitely it is ops, by the way, we have scholarships to hand out. >> been to the dinner a number of times. when they give out the awards, that's when everyone heads to the bathroom. >> yeah. >> dean, one of the things most intriguing about mr. brokaw's comments, he didn't rail against the celebrities in general, he raid against they get c and d list celebrities. guys like george clooney and some of the other legitimate a listers, you're bringing in lindsay lohan, the kardashians, thought that was an interesting point. >> i thought it was interesting. in the past, you had ozzy osbourne, justin beiber. all you need is honey boo boo, that's a sign of the apocalypse i am pretty sure. where else do you get different groups, eclectic group together

with people in the media. it is not to me, i am not a journalist, don't disrespect tom brokaw whatsoever, amazing journalist, i understand where he is coming from, it is one night. not on-going, it is one night. they laugh, make fun of celebrities, the comedian, the president. it mocks them being there as well. >> we're taking a quick break. we are close to the moment of truth, the president's remarks at the white house correspondents' dinner. who is his target tonight? who could be on the list, could it be perhaps a familiar foe? >> of course, the deficit is a serious issue. that's why paul ryan couldn't be here tonight. his budget has no room for laughter. >> paul ryan, marco rubio, john boehner, or could it be donald trump again for the third time, who would the president go after tonight. we will find out in a few moments, don't go anywhere. this is msnbc. >> you're watching the white

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welcome pack to special coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. they're showing a video there inside the hilton ballroom, featuring kevin spacey, john mccain. let's listen in. >> we focus exclusively on an elite audience. that said, we want kim kardashian at our table. >> i need them to wear pants to white house briefings. >> i refuse to do that until the president gives more access. >> just do as i say and politico gets a kardashian. mike, what is your home address? >>. >> why do you ask? >> to send you tickets, of course. >> nobody knows where he lives, we mail checks to a po box. >> mike, there's no reason to be nervous. is valerie bad mouthing me to the president? >> reply hazy. >> is she out for revenge? >> ask again later. >> look, i need you -- >> frank, you want to talk immigration, we can talk about

immigration, we can talk about the budget. i'll even talk to you about jazjay z and beyonce. >> what's the problem? you two played basketball every tuesday. >> nerf ball. >> we don't want the rest of the world to know that. >> i'm willing to break you up if you can give me tickets to a ravens game? >> i'm all out, how do you think i elected whip. >> how about taylor swift at the verizon center back stage passes. >> now you're hitting me where i live. you better believe it. >> you have to introduce me to ted at the dinner, i can't get my [ bleep ] netflix to work. >> i have resources saying valerie is on the war path. >> you might think that. i couldn't possibly comment. >> is it true you were hoarding tickets to the dinner? >> where are you getting it?

mr. ed teg rity, i have to go. >> how about this, you tweet it and i'll retweet it. >> all right. >> done. i thought you wanted the immigration bill to pass. >> i did, but that stingy wouldn't give me my ravens tickets. >> this is so much cooler than the -- >> you can't run for mayor again, mike, that will put anthony weiner in a pickle and he'll tweet the pickle. >> doesn't that position only last for a year? >> since when do term limits ever stop you? you should know, mike, ed drinks big gul ps. >> ed henry, i want him out. >> let me talk to him. frank, it's charlie rose, tell me this, why did you cancel last week? >> margaret thatcher died, i was

in mourning. >> how about next week? >> i'm already bked on the "today" show but doug will be in touch. >> if i play ball, will you at least get bloomberg off my back? >> only if you give me your absolute unquestioning loyalty. >> that's a pretty big ask. >> 42 seconds during the dinner to say whatever i want. >> take 45. >> washington and hollywood, new faces and old faces and new faces on old faces. and i do sympathize conan and not just for back stabbing leno but having to host, it must be hard to write jokes about a town that is one democrats and republicans, you all came together to make this spoof. that's what real bipartisanship

looks like. i may lie, cheat and intimidate to get what i want, but at least i get the job done. have a wonderful evening and i'll see all of you they bloom derg vanity fair party, that is those who got an invite. mr. president, welcome to -- [ applause ] >> so it begins. that is quite possibly the best of the opening videos we have seen at the white house correspondents' dinner, we saw jay carney and steny hoyer and kevin mccarthy and mike bloomberg. for all of the beltway nerds, there are plenty of other folks that some folks might not

recognize. you have ed henry, the head of the white house correspondents association, going to be making the toast after ed henry's toast we'll hear from the president of the united states. i want to bring the panel back here. up in new york city, were you able to see and hear that video okay? >> i was impressed by steny hoyer's acting, funny and cursed and jay carney was funny. the acting of these guys was pretty good. it's a great introduction, frankly the quality of the video. >> or the editing was great. >> i don't think bloomberg did a great job and i live in new york. my taxes might go up as a result of my saying that but steny hoyer was great and cursed and bleeped it, it was a funny moment. carney with the eight ball was funny. it was beautifully done. maybe that's the only partisanship we'll have ever. >> that was well done. >> very well done. >> house of cards team did it

themselves. >> what it looks like. >> any time you end with kevin spacey giving a mondolog, that' great. >> this one compared to years past? >> the energy a lot better. the celebrity power was better than other years, we've seen bigger years when he was first elected, everybody came up and riding that change of hope. but this year, again, high energy but then also a sense of sadness because of what happened in boston. but you had everything from psy and newt gingrich. >> next time you talk to psy get him on board the msnbc train. >> he got it right. what is that? we're in america. >> what do we want to hear from the president tonight? >> i want to hear fresh material, don't want to hear

jokes about his birth certificate or where he was born, him being muslim, those type of jokes. i would like to see if he does go the route of joking about what happened with the gun control bill and gay marriage might be a place where there are jokes and him poking fun that even the majority of republicans under the age of 50 are now supporting gay marriage. >> for folks just joining in, just jumping in, we have a toast speech and after that the president will get up and make us laugh for a few moments. when that happens we'll stop talk and let the president start. dean, we're talking about the president's speech, the president's performance. right after that conan o'brien will take the stage. how much pressure will be on him and what can we expect from the giant funny man? >> the pressure on him is tremendous. you know what, i watched his 1995 performance at the white

house correspondents' dinner, it was great. no doubt he'll make jokes about himself. you'll see jokes about the bush presidential library opening this week, books plus bush equals comedy gold. there will be jokes about it being filled with audio books. i think about congress and flight delays and sequester. i think gay marriage is a good point and the media of course, mistakes in the boston bombing, also election night, fox news, karl rove meltdown about ohio. i think it's all ripe for a lot of fun for conan. he has more leeway than the president. >> we in the media collectively, we do give them a lot to work with, don't we? >> conan has said he's going to come after us, the media. >> we're an easy target. >> unlike past comedians won't go after the president or

politicians, coming after all of us tonight. this should be interesting. >> no lindsay lohan or kim kardashian, none of the 12 kardashians are there. >> the president knows who the kardashians are and. >> who told the president who young geesy is. >> people care and they are talking about. >> duck dynasty? >> they are in the house. >> at what point do we reach the bottom? >> that show is one of the highest rated shows so people care. >> that's not how we measure it. >> only in america could you be on reality tv and here you are at the white house correspondents' dinner, that's the beauty, it doesn't discriminate. >> one of the things that's always struck me in terms of the visual, you look at these tables and you see people like steny hoyer or like a jay carney and people at the top of their game

politically sitting next to folks they would probably not otherwise talk to other acknowledge on the streets. i've always wondered, those table conversations, before, during and after the dinner, what are those people talking about? >> i mean, also in addition to the journalists who are there, you also have corporate executives and those types at the table. it's definitely an interesting mix of people and alcohol helps lubricate those conversations there. by the end of the night we'll see how the conversations go. >> we talk a little bit about the dinner and the speeches but the after parties, those are a big deal as well? we've also seen quite the proliferation. >> this year there was a scandal. there was a gifting suite for the first time for the white house correspondents' dinner that happens all over the place in the entertainment world but a lot of people -- >> for folks that don't lich

live in the land. what's this gifting suite you speak of? >> it happens during award season, oscars or grammys, celebrities go and get gifts and move on. for the first time it happened for d.c. they are giving away money to the creative coalition. there was a big scandal around it saying should this happen or not happen. to your earlier point, what goes on, people that unlikely wouldn't get together get together. a lot of politicians i talked to were -- sophia vergara, shocking. >> for folks just tuning in, this is our special coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner, we are waiting for president obama to dress a group of media and pundits. should be a fun any time. the president usually speaks about 15 minutes or so. when that happens, we will of course bring it to you live. let's talk -- there's ork michelle