Prank puts Palin on phone with Canadian comedian

TORONTO – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin unwittingly took a prank call Saturday from a Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and telling her she would make a good president someday.

“Maybe in eight years,” replies a laughing Palin.

The Republican vice presidential nominee discusses politics, the perils of hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, and Sarkozy’s “beautiful wife,” in a recording of the six-minute call released Saturday and set to air Monday on a Quebec radio station.

Palin campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt confirmed she had received the prank call.

“Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C’est la vie,” she said.

When asked during a brief interview with McClatchy Newspapers how the comedians were able to connect with her, Palin rolled her eyes and referred to the statement released earlier by the campaign. But she smiled and added, “You know, we’ll keep a sense of humor through all of this, just as we did with ‘SNL,’ too,” referring to actress Tina Fey’s impersonation of her on “Saturday Night Live.” “You know, you’ve got to have some levity in all this.”

The call was made by well-known Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel. Known as the Masked Avengers, the two are notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state.

Audette, posing as Sarkozy, speaks in an exaggerated French accent and drops ample hints that the conversation is a joke. But Palin seemingly does not pick up on them.

He tells Palin one of his favorite pastimes is hunting, also a passion of the Alaska governor.

“I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun,” the fake Sarkozy says.

He proposes they go hunting together by helicopter, something he says he has never done.

“Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we’re getting work done,” Palin counters. “We can kill two birds with one stone that way.”

The comedian jokes that they shouldn’t bring Cheney along on the hunt, referring to the 2006 incident in which the vice president shot and injured a friend while hunting quail.

“I’ll be a careful shot,” responds Palin.

The callers eventually reveal the prank and identify themselves and their radio station.

“Ohhh, have we been pranked?” Palin asks before handing the phone to an aide who ends the call.