Clinton No.1 target of Leno, Letterman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Did you hear the one about the governor from Arkansas who ran for the White House and won?

The nation's top late-night joke meisters certainly did.

President Clinton was the target of more political jokes cracked by Jay Leno and David Letterman than any other world figure over the past decade, according to a new study that raises questions about the impact of the proliferation of political humor and the blurring line between entertainment and news.

The study released Tuesday by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, a nonpartisan research and education group, found that Clinton was the butt of political jokes by the two 20 percent of the time over the past 10 years.

The study also found that Leno, host of the "Tonight Show," told far more political jokes, almost 50 percent more than rival Letterman, host of the "Late Show."

Between May 25, 1992, and April 15, 2002, Leno told 18,802 political jokes, compared to Letterman's tally of 12,741.

Clinton was the butt of 3,722 of those political jokes by Leno, who recently celebrated 10 years as host of the "Tonight Show."

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In fact, the nation's 42nd president was the target of more political jokes by Leno than Al Gore, O.J. Simpson, Bob Dole, Monica Lewinsky, Hillary Clinton, George Bush, H. Ross Perot and Dan Quayle combined, the study found.

Robert Lichter, president of the center, said the humor may not be so innocuous, pointing to polls that show nearly three out of 10 Americans and half of those under age 30 rely on the late-night talk shows for news about politics.

"Jay Leno's monologues are no laughing matter for politicians," he said in a statement. "As news and entertainment merge, Leno and Letterman have become the network anchors of late night television."

Matthew Felling, a spokesman for the center, said the study underscores a trend in which the line between news and entertainment is increasingly blurred.

"Everything is becoming news/entertainment, entertainment/news," he said. "This is just another piece of that puzzle."

He pointed to the recent brouhaha over the possibility Disney might drop the ABC news program "Nightline" to lure Letterman to host a new show. Letterman opted to stay with CBS, but the episode raised questions about the future of hard-news programs.

"Are you getting more political information from Koppel or from Letterman? That's an interesting question," Felling said.

Lawmakers and leading political figures know the wide audiences the humorous late-night shows have.

Monday night, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer appeared on Leno's show, revealing the fact that his parents are, as he put it, "principled Democrats."

Fleischer, the spokesman for a Republican administration, said President Bush gently teases him about that fact.

"My parents have gotten to know the president very well, and the president will say, 'So do I have your mother yet?' And I say, 'No sir, not yet.' "

First lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have also appeared on the program.