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                  Obama, Romney Share Jokes at Charity Dinner

   by VOA News

   U.S. President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney
   made fun of themselves and each other at a high-profile charity dinner
   Thursday in New York.
   The formal event hosted by the city's Catholic Archdiocese at the
   Luxury Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was a chance for the candidates to take a
   break from an often combative presidential campaign.
   Mr. Romney, a multi-millionaire, began the evening by taking a shot at
   his own wealth, telling the formally dressed crowd that he was glad he
   and his wife Ann could slip into clothes they "wear around the house."
   His speech also poked fun at the media, who many Republicans accuse of
   favoring Democrats.
   "Let's just say some in the media have a certain way of looking at
   things. When I suddenly, pulled ahead in some of the major polls, what
   was the headline? 'Polls show Obama leading from behind.' And I have
   already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. Headline: 'Obama
   embraced by Catholics,' ' Romney dines with rich people,'" the
   Republican candidate said.
   President Obama also took aim at Mr. Romney's wealth, noting that while
   he had earlier gone shopping at some stores in Midtown Manhattan, Mr.
   Romney "went shopping for some stores."
   Mr. Obama made light of his performance in the first debate, during
   which many said he looked tired and uninterested.
   "This is the third time that Governor Romney and I have met recently.
   As some of you may have noticed, I had a lot more energy in our second
   debate. I felt really well rested after the nice long nap I had in the
   first debate," Mr. Obama said.
   The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, named after a former
   Democratic governor of New York and the first Roman Catholic
   presidential candidate in 1928, is expected to raise $5 million for
   Catholic charities.
   Before the event, President Obama appeared on Comedy Central's "Daily
   Show with Jon Stewart," where he defended his handling of month's
   deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
   Mr. Obama rejected accusations that his administration was "confused"
   in its response to the attack, which killed the U.S. ambassador to
   Libya and three other Americans. He insisted that officials did not
   withhold information from the public, but said because of the large
   size of the government, sometimes things "screw up."
   Recent polls show both candidates locked in a tight race, with less
   than three weeks until election day. They will meet in a third and
   final presidential debate on Monday in Florida. It will focus
   exclusively on foreign policy.
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   inner/1529407.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-romney-share-jokes-at-charity-dinner/1529407.html