Bush Kicks Off Middle East Comedy Tour

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Fresh off a seven year tour of the United States, George W. Bush kicked off a new Middle East comedy tour. The six country event dubbed "The Original President of Comedy" tour, launched from Tel Aviv, Israel to a sold out, kvetching room only, house.

These extremists have hijacked [a] noble religion, and seek to impose their totalitarian ideology on millions. They hate freedom and they hate democracy -- because it fosters religious tolerance and allows people to chart their own future...

adding "You know how rough Bingo games can be, heh heheh heh heh."

The best routine of the night came towards the end:

Iran is today the world's leading state sponsor of terror. It sends hundreds of millions of dollars to extremists around the world -- while its own people face repression and economic hardship at home. It undermines Lebanese hopes for peace by arming and aiding the terrorist group Hezbollah. It subverts the hopes for peace in other parts of the region by funding terrorist groups like Hamas and the Palestine Islamic Jihad. It sends arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Shia militants in Iraq. It seeks to intimidate its neighbors with ballistic missiles and bellicose rhetoric. And finally, it defies the United Nations and destabilizes the region by refusing to be open and transparent about its nuclear programs and ambitions.

THE ARISTOCRATS!

The normally reserved Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was seen falling out of his chair in laughter.

The jokes come at a time when newer, fresher comedians are coming on the scene. With the 2008 Elections coming up, but with the WGA strike continuing, many new faces have had difficulty with breaking into the Political Comedy scene.

Opening for Bush was Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, who performed his famous "launch CS gas into the audience" routine, which left those in attendance in tears.

Critics were disappointed, however, that much of Mr. Bush's material was rehashed from previous tours.

"I mean, he's doing his whole 'Iran is an imminent threat' thing again," said Stewart Cleveland, comedy reviewer for Entertainewsweekly. Five years ago when he told it it was 'Iraq' instead of 'Iran', and the joke is kinda getting old. You almost expect him to lead with 'what's the deal with airline food?' I suppose that at this point, it's more of a greatest hits tour than anything."

Tickets for the rest of the tour, which will include Riyadh, Cairo, Baghdad, and the Funnybone Comedy Club in downtown Kabul are available for $100/barrel. Please be advised that there is a no drink maximum.