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Musharraf jokes about bin Laden
27/09/2006 16:35 - (SA)
James Hossack
New York - It's not every night that the president of an Islamic republic appears on a US comedy show to joke about Osama bin Laden.
But Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf did just that on Tuesday, all in the name of book sales, after last week using a press conference with US President George W Bush to plug his recently-released memoirs.
Looking relaxed and sporting a brown suit and orange tie, Musharraf proved an unusual hit on the late-night Daily Show with Jon Stewart, managing to get through his 15 minutes of comedy fame without looking too uncomfortable.
After pouring a cup of jasmine tea for the Pakistani leader, Stewart casually asked Musharraf, "Where's Osama bin Laden?" prompting the reply: "I don't know. If you know where he is, you lead on, we'll follow you."
Teasing Musharraf over two attempts on his life on the same bridge in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi just weeks apart in 2003, Stewart joked: "I'd come up with a new way to go to work."
While Stewart kept the best lines for himself, Musharraf earned broad applause for his deadpan response to his host's observation that the Pakistani leader seemed more relaxed about heightened security than the average American.
"Yes I am," Musharraf said, matter of factly.
The jibes at Bush were not far behind, with Stewart asking: "In your book... there's no mention of Iraq. Is that because you felt like it was such a smart move and has gone so well that to mention it would be gloating?"
He asked Musharraf about his meeting with Bush in Washington last week: "Does he seem open, or paying attention, or does he, let's say, have the TV on?" Stewart asked.
"He was listening carefully," Musharraf replied, before being interrupted with: "Because he sleeps with his eyes open, I just want you to know that."
In a crowd pleaser finale, when asked who would win a popular vote in Pakistan - bin Laden or Bush, a chortling Musharraf replied: "They'd both lose miserably."
The unusual marketing ploy by Musharraf to promote In the Line of Fire was the first appearance by a serving head of state on the show, whose former guests have included former secretaries of state and ex-president Bill Clinton.
The nightly satirical news show, which more often hosts showbiz stars, has been on the air for a decade and goes out to some 2.5 million viewers.
Since deciding to back the US-led "war on terror" in 2001, Musharraf has been at the centre of US-led efforts to track down al-Qaeda leader bin Laden and Taliban figures that harboured him after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- AFP
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