Because Victor Borge Is Dead

To be honest, I also thought Rich Little was dead as well. Nope, he's alive and mimicking and has been slated for the entertainment for the White House Correspondents Dinner. That's pretty lame in itself, but get this, the White House press corps has asked Little to take it easy on the boy king. Apparently, he's having a rough year. From Attytood:

Little said organizers of the event made it clear they don't want a repeat of last year's controversial appearance by Stephen Colbert, whose searing satire of President Bush and the White House press corps fell flat and apparently touched too many nerves.

"They got a lot of letters," Little said Tuesday. "I won't even mention the word 'Iraq.'"

Little, who hasn't been to the White House since he was a favorite of the Reagan administration, said he'll stick with his usual schtick -- the impersonations of the past six presidents.

"They don't want anyone knocking the president. He's really over the coals right now, and he's worried about his legacy," added Little, a longtime Las Vegas resident.

They got a lot of letters? Jeez, how much free time does Richard Cohen have on his hands?

The really amazing thing about picking Little is that I can't even begin to imagine how the selection process worked. How do you manage to snatch Rich Little out of whatever Vegas has-been show's bullpen he's sitting in? Do you call David Broder who informs you he saw a young whippersnapper at the Sands last week, and that he was funny and centrist?

Or was he simply second on the list after the Clown Prince of Denmark? Hey, everybody loves a guy playing a piano when the sheet music is upside down. It's a hoot.