Palin pokes fun at herself at Gridiron

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) ridiculed herself, poked fun at journalists and tossed a little mockery at the way of her Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign at Saturday's Gridiron dinner.

The winter event -- an exclusive gathering of top D.C. media types at which Palin and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) were keynote speakers -- is historically candid yet typically off the record.

Still, snippets of Palin's remarks in particular creeped into news reports late Saturday night. Among the highlights from the former governor's speech, as reported by the AP:

-- Palin took a shot at Vice President Joe Biden's hair: "I could be the one overseeing the signing of bailout checks and Vice President Biden could be on the road selling his book, 'Going Rogaine," she said.

-- Reflecting on her remark during the campaign that she could "see Russia" from her house, Palin quipped she "came down from my hotel room and I could see the Russian embassy."

-- The former governor, however, seemed to take the biggest shot at McCain's election team, who she all but excoriates in her new book: "The view is so much better from inside the bus than under it," she joked about the difficulties of the campaign trail.

-- She ultimately thanked reporters, the hosts of the evening's event, for the invitation -- but not before equating them with "a death panel," borrowing language she has previously used in this year's healthcare debate.

Frank, too, scored a few laughs Saturday night. In particular, he responded to criticisms about his decision to stay off Twitter, even as more of his colleagues begin to use it.

"Maybe I lack intellectual curiosity, but I'm not that interested in what Claire McCaskill has for lunch," the congressman said, in reference to the fact Sen. McCaskill (D-Mo.) has a reputation as an active user of the Web site.

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