The Mike Huckabee Comedy Juggernaut Rolls On

This year’s crop of contestants included James Kotecki of Politico; Jim Bohannnon of Westwood One radio; Dan Glickman, former secretary of agriculture and current head of the Motion Picture Association of America; Grover Norquist of the Americans for Tax Reform; CNN Washington Correspondent Jamie McIntyre; former congressman and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr; Huckabee and finally Riz Khan of Al Jazeera English. There were a few no-shows: Michelle Bernard of the Independent Women’s Forum and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) were both scheduled to appear but didn’t. MSNBC'S David Shuster apparently found out yesterday he wasn’t going to make it, and contacted Kotecki, a video blogger for Politico, to replace him. Even last year’s winner Randazzo had to have fellow Onion staffer Baratunde Thurston stand-in for him to throw out the ceremonial “first joke.”

Grover Norquist received an honorable mention for his set. Norquist began by saying he was told that he had to play to a highbrow crowd, and began telling jokes with punchlines that referenced obscure historical figures; he then playfully switched gears in mock-frustration, telling the audience that their options for his set consisted of material that trashed the Bush Administration “….or fart jokes.” Second-runner up Riz Khan of Al Jazeera mocked his tenuous position as part of the Middle East’s media outlet: “I want to know who described me on the billing as ‘explosively funny?’ Who wrote ‘come and see him and you'll have a blast?’”

The first runner-up was James Kotecki, who had to overcome not only being a last-minute replacement for David Shuster, but also had to open the show, the comedic equivalent of the chum that’s used by big game fisherman to attract fish. He delivered an Andy Samberg-esque rap that referenced the political headlines of the day, as well as his competition. On Sarah Palin: “She's got a rockin’ body that we all wanna hit/But does that change the fact she doesn’t know shit?” On Mike Huckabee’s transition from presidential candidate to a contestant in a local comedy competition: “I don't wanna be mean, I don’t mean to be rude/But now do you believe in evolution, dude?”

But Huckabee seemed to please both the audience and the judges most. With a set that was rife with self-deprecating references to his failed presidential bid, his anonymity as a politician, and the lack of funds for his campaign, Huckabee is actually a decent mimic with an ear for the voices and dialects of those who approach him in airports with that “you seem familiar” look on their faces. “I voted for you,” Huckabee tells us they say to him. “Yeah, right, pal… if everyone who said that to me actually did, I’d be riding around with Sarah Palin right now.” On his campaign’s inability to afford decent hotels: “I called up my wife and said ‘honey, I’m the only person in this hotel with sleeves.’” On Mitt Romney: “He had more positions than an underage Chinese gymnast.”

Clarence Page, a former contestant himself, easily handled the hosting duties despite a few minor glitches, and took time to pay tribute to former contestants Tim Russert and Tony Snow. And as the judges were tabulating their ballots, pros Aaron Freeman and Ray Hanania of the Isreali-Palestinian Comedy Tour kept the energy up and the crowd laughing.

Again, it certainly wasn’t the kind of jokes – or laughs – you hear on a normal night at the DC Improv. But with the hors d'oeuvres and booze making their way plentifully around the room, and proceeds going to charity, nobody really seemed to mind.