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WASHINGTON: George W. Bush took humorous swipes on Saturday night at the candidates battling to succeed him as president, feigning surprise that the trio gave the White House Correspondents' Association dinner a miss.
"I have to say I'm kind of surprised we don't have more presidential candidates here tonight. Like, any," Bush told a few thousand guests at the annual black-tie gala.
"Senator McCain is not here. He probably wanted to distance himself from me a little bit," Bush quipped of the presumptive Republican nominee who has had a testy relationship with Bush over the years but supports the administration's war in Iraq.
"You know, he's not alone. Jenna is moving out too," he added, referring to his daughter who is engaged to be married in two weeks.
The president was quick to skewer the Democratic party candidates, New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama, explaining their absence by mocking recent missteps that have hurt their images during the campaign.
"Senator Clinton couldn't get into the building because of sniper fire. And Senator Obama is at church," he sarcastically said, to loud applause.
On the campaign trail Clinton claimed she arrived at an airport in Bosnia in 1996 as First Lady under sniper fire, which has been debunked, while Obama has caught flak for comments by his ex-pastor Jeremiah Wright, shown in video clips assailing US "terrorism" and alleging that AIDS was spread by the US government.
Bush was the guest of honour at the annual dinner arranged by the correspondents' association to recognise the reporters who cover the White House.
Among the guests were Hollywood celebrities including actors Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Pamela Anderson.
"This is my last White House correspondents' dinner as president," Bush noted. "You know, I'm not sure what I'm going to do next," Bush said.
"After he left office, Vice President (Al) Gore won an Oscar and a Nobel peace prize. Hey, I don't know, I might win a prize, Publishers Clearinghouse (lottery) or something," he mused, before turning and conducting the Marine Band in a rendition of "Stars and Stripes Forever." - AFP/de
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