Joe Biden can say funny things on purpose, too.
The gaffe-prone vice president landed a series of comic one-liners on stage at the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Dinner in D.C Wednesday evening, honing in on his subordinate status inside the Obama administration and his recent disappointing peacemaking trip to Israel.
“I just got back from five days in the Middle East," Biden said. "I love to travel, but it’s great to be back to a place where a boom in housing construction is actually a good thing.”
Biden acknowledged he was a stand-in for the president, who usually hosts the annual event. He also “apologized” that the event does not hold the same “prestige” as the White House Correspondents’ Diner.
“You know, a lot of you find it hard to understand why you get second billing,” Biden said. “Well, welcome to my world.”
Despite riffing on his foibles, he did not mention the gaffe he made hours earlier during a White House celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Then he erroneously called for a blessing over the late mother of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. The only problem: she's not dead yet.
At the dinner, Biden showed the audience – which included Fox News talking head Bill O'Reilly, ex-Sen. Evan Bayh, Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Kathy Griffin -- a photo slideshow from his time in the administration. Many of the photos were of the I-get-no-respect variety.
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One showed Biden’s dog, “Champ,” holding onto the vice president by his teeth.
“You can see he is a democratic dog,” Biden observed. “He’s biting the hand that feeds him.”
Another photo showed President Obama pointing down at a rug in his office. It portrayed “the president explaining exactly how far down I have to bow when I enter the Oval Office,” Biden joked.
Biden gasped when a photo of him with White House crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi appeared on screen: “I have no idea how that got in there,” he said.
Biden also set his sights on Republicans in the room and Washington in general.
"Deep background means you'll be quoted in [gossip book] 'Game Change,'" he said of District culture.
On Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz: “Liz Cheney has been on a tear lately. Now she’s questioning whether Tom Brady is a real patriot.”
But Biden saved his choicest digs for either himself or fellow Democrats.
“Republicans keep saying [the stimulus] hasn’t created a single job,” he said at one point. “Well, tell that to Sen. Scott Brown.”
