If you care about that Washington institution known as the Gridiron Dinner, Politico.com and the Associated Press provide some of the flavor of the evening when old journalists and old politicians mingle at an event I'll call Showtime at Geezer Gulch.

For the second year in a row, President Barack Obama was a no-show. Last year, he had to wash his dog Bo, or something.

This year, he had planned to be in Asia. That trip was postponed so he could do the all-important last-minute lobbying for health-care overhaul legislation. But he had already asked former President Bill Clinton to speak in his stead and Clinton did.

Just like old times, Clinton was about 50 minutes later into the hotel banquet room than anyone else. As a presidential candidate and president, he was known for being on CP (Clinton Presidency) Time.

But he was worth the wait since it was generally agreed that he rocked. The man just has that great southern storyteller's ability to spin out a joke just so. Probably the closest thing we've had to Mark Twain, or a Twain character, in the White House in our life times.