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Gibbs Knocks Sykes for 9/11 Joke Obama Laughed At

2:15 PM, May 11, 2009 • By MARY KATHARINE HAM
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Sure, he thought it was funny, at the time. But upon reading reaction to the joke further reflection, the administration believes 9/11 jokes are beyond the pale:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs this afternoon expressed displeasure with the comedy stylings of Wanda Sykes, who at the White House Correspondents' Dinner referred to Rush Limbaugh as the "20th hijacker" so "strung-out on Oxycontin" he missed his flight, this afternoon .

Gibbs said "a lot of topics are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy. I don't think there's any doubt that 9/11 is a part of that."

Jokes about 9/11 reenactments, however? Totally kosher:

Now Sasha and Malia aren't here tonight because they're grounded. You can't just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan. (Laughter.) I don't care whose kids you are. (Laughter.) We've been setting some ground rules here. They're starting to get a little carried away.

The White House is nothing if not nuanced.

Update: For the record, I thought a lot of Sykes' routine was pretty funny, and fairly even-handed, as these things go, which I didn't expect. She killed the whole act with two predictably mean-spirited, unfunny cracks on a predictable target. Too bad.

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Update: Ben Smith notes that 9/11 jokes have been all right with both the VP and the President up until today, as long as the butt of the joke was a Republican.