"Dave has been off the air for eight long weeks because of the writers' strike. Tonight he's back. Oh well, all good things come to an end."
That's how Hillary Clinton kicked off the return of David Letterman to the CBS airwaves tonight. It was the return of actual television writers, too, and the proof was in the line itself, delivered well by Clinton, with just the right touch of the unmistakable Letterman blend of anomie and bonhomie. Seriously, you think that was written by Penn and Wolfson? Maybe. It's just that the last time they copped to a joke was when they savaged a kindergartening Obama for wanting to be President. And that was hilarious!
The joke's really on Mike Huckabee. Clinton beat him to the air, didn't have to leave Iowa (by the looks of things), and didn't have to cross a picket line to do it. Plus, her brief appearance is likely to be more "Ha, ha, funny," instead of "Dear God, these really are the end times if this guy is the frontrunner in Iowa" funny.
Also great: David terming his WGA picket-toting dancing girls the "Eugene V. Debs." Old-school socialist labor-leader humor resonates really well with the Edwards-Kucinich bloc. Chicago's own Lupe Fiasco is a nice nod to Obama. And we're sure someone loves Robin Williams. The sweet, childlike mind of Mitt Romney, maybe. Anyway: ecumenical! And well written! Kudos to Worldwide Pants!