Top 3 Presidential Pranks of All Time A comedy article
by Luke McKinney 1,877 5 01/15/2010 09:37 PM 5669 views
These are pranks by presidents, not on presidents, because that subject/object distinction is a matter of life and death. Attempting anything sudden in the vicinity of a president -- be it delivering an unexpected item, trying to plant something in his house or workplace, or just suddenly jumping out at him and his well-armed Secret Service agents -- is a great way to get an exclusive "Presidential protection bullet collection."
Here are the top 3 pranks ever pulled by Presidents.
1. Vice President Bob Hope
When you think of Richard Nixon, you probably don't think of pranks (unless you have a darker sense of humor than most people not living in correctional institutions). But then-Vice-President Nixon did exactly that one morning, setting off for a breakfast of hamburger and coffee (he didn't develop his famous "Asian babies and confidential Democrat papers" buffet until after he became President).
When the waitress said she was sure she'd seen this guy somewhere before, he explained that he was beloved comedian Bob Hope -- proving that he not only has a sense of humor, but a vicious sense of irony.
She then had a momentary vision of the future and wept bitter tears
2. William Taft's "Sofa of Law"
President Taft weighed over 300 pounds, was the last American president to sport a 'stache, and was practically spherical.
William Taft, President of Pies. Also America.
William couldn't ignore his weight any more than the collection of orbital bodies affected by his motion. He accepted, and even joked about, his fatness. The best was when offered a Chair of Law by Yale University after losing the 1916 election. The newly ex-president replied that a Chair would be inadequate, but a Sofa of Law might be all right. Bonus points for:
- not being defensive and screaming about the patently obvious, a skill many have lost since;
- that bitchin 'stache;
- still joking even after pretty much the whole country booed him out of the White House.
3. Obama's Prank Call
Our current First Prankster is no slouch, satisfying the "Making A Prank Awesome" conditions of pulling a large-scale stunt (conning Virginia Governor Tim Kaine during a live broadcast on his radio show) and good humor (the prank was to wish an obviously touched Tim well on his future). Barack pretended to be "Barry from D.C.," before revealing his elected identity live on-air.
Presidents get an awesome bonus on pranking, and this is an ultimate inversion of a classic trick: prank calls are normally made by people who don't have other things to do.
Luke McKinney writes for Cracked, Gamespy, The Beer Mag, lukemckinney.org, and regrets the passing of the manly moustache.
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