Even Hollywood liberals were left reeling after Chevy Chase's potty-mouthed Bush-bashing Tuesday night at the Kennedy Center, where the actor hosted an awards ceremony staged by People for the American Way.
The WASHINGTON POST on Thursday claims Chase unleashed a rant against President Bush that stunned the crowd.
He deployed the four-letter word that got Vice President Dick Cheney in hot water, using it as a noun. Chase called the prez a "dumb (expletive)." He also used it as an adjective, assuring the audience, "I'm no (expletive) clown either. ... This guy started a jihad."
Chase also said: "This guy in office is an uneducated, real lying schmuck ... and we still couldn't beat him with a bore like Kerry."
People for the American Way distanced itself Wednesday from the actor's rant.
Founder Norman Lear tells the paper: "I thought it was utterly untoward, obviously unexpected and unscripted and all that stuff. And, uh _ it was Chevy Chase. He'll live with it, I won't."
Developing...
Sen. Tom Daschle, the former minority leader, looked taken aback when he went on directly after Chase. His opening line: "I've had to follow a lot of speakers, but _ " The movie star didn't return for a curtain call or to savor dessert at the reception after the event. We were told he hurt his back and needed to call it a night by 9. Chase's PR rep told us Wednesday she was unable to reach him. Meanwhile, the other host of the evening, the newly blond Cynthia Nixon, told us she had a more gracious message for Bush: "Don't just listen to people who are telling you yes, listen to the people who are telling you no!"
