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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

People: Obama rips friends, foes at correspondents’ dinner

President Barack Obama offers a toast during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday. (Associated Press)
From Wire Reports

A presidential election just getting into gear provided President Barack Obama plenty of new material to work with on the night he describes as Washington celebrating itself.

“It’s amazing how time flies,” Obama told those attending the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday night. “Soon, the first presidential contest will take place, and I for one cannot wait to see who the Koch brothers pick. It’s exciting.”

Obama added: “ Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker … who will finally get that red rose?”

On the Democratic side, Obama observed that Hillary Rodham Clinton kicked things off by going unrecognized to Chipotle. Meanwhile, he said, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley went completely unrecognized at an O’Malley campaign event.

Taking a playful poke at himself and at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is considering a bid, Obama said: “Apparently, some folks want to see a pot-smoking socialist in the White House. We could get a third Obama term after all.”

The dinner also gave the president an opportunity to rib some of his loudest critics.

“Just this week Michele Bachmann actually predicted that I would bring about the biblical end of days. Now, that’s a legacy,” he said. “That’s big. I mean, Lincoln, Washington, they didn’t do that.”

Of course, he had to give a shout-out to his health care law.

“Today, thanks to Obamacare, you no longer have to worry about losing your insurance, if you lose your job,” he said. “You’re welcome, Senate Democrats.”

The featured entertainer of the night, Cecily Strong from “Saturday Night Live,” got some big laughs with some tough subjects. For example, she observed that the Secret Service is the one law enforcement agency that could get in trouble if a black man gets shot.

“Your hair is so white now,” she told the president, “it can talk back to police.”

The birthday bunch

Actress Anouk Aimee is 83. Actress Judy Carne is 76. Rock musician Jim Keltner is 73. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cuba Gooding is 71. Rock singer Kate Pierson (The B-52’s) is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Herbie Murrell (The Stylistics) is 66. Rock musician Ace Frehley is 64. Pop singer Sheena Easton is 56. Actress Sally Hawkins is 39. Rock singer-musician Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy) is 31. Actor William Moseley is 28.