Quote of the day

President Obama, relaying a conversation he had during the G20 about the stupidity of American political debate.

"I was up at the G20 -- just a little aside -- I was up at the G20, and some of you saw those big flags and all the world leaders come in and Michelle and I are shaking hands with them," the president said. "One of the leaders -- I won't mention who it was -- he comes up to me. We take the picture, we go behind.

"He says, 'Barack, explain to me this health care debate.'

"He says, 'We don't understand it. You're trying to make sure everybody has health care and they're putting a Hitler mustache on you -- I don't -- that doesn't make sense to me. Explain that to me.'"

The President was momentarily taken aback by the question, as trying to explain Sarah Palin, the modern GOP, Glenn Beck, the American news media, Fox News, teabaggers, the Christian right, and the Senate Finance Committee in one sitting might have caused the unnamed world leader to despair so heavily at the state of the USA and their ability to lead in any future crisis that he or she would have gone out and committed suicide in front of the zinnias at Phipps. Instead, Obama told the world leader that if he "wanted to look into the empty eyes of evil" that they should go back to the hotel and watch 15 minutes of Hannity's America after the dinner. As a precaution he then had the State Department tell that country's protective services to remove sharp objects from the leader's hotel room and that they should prepare to see their head of state "go to a dark place."

It is unclear what world leader made this request, but unconfirmed reports had Spain's José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero leaving the summit in a wheelchair, his hair completely white.