John McCain and Barack Obama poked fun at themselves and each other at the Alfred E. Smith dinner, an annual charity event of the Catholic archdiocese of New York.
The speeches are really fun to watch as the candidates turned off their jabbing tones.
At one point, McCain said, “? maverick I can do, but messiah is above my pay grade.”
On a more serious note, McCain praised Smith for his pro-life stance. “Your comfort for the sick and needy, your belief in the dignity of life, especially your gallant defense of the rights of the unborn. I’m proud to count myself as your friend and ally.”
Obama followed McCain’s messiah mention with, “Contrary to the rumors that you’ve heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jor-el to save the planet earth.”
Update: The Boston Globe‘s Michael Paulson notes that John Kerry was not invited to the same event in 2004 because he supports abortion rights.
