Blunt turns comedian at GOP conference

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Matt Blunt didn't have to worry about hecklers for his foray into stand-up comedy.

In front of a friendly crowd at the Republican Party's annual Lincoln Days on Friday night, Blunt -- usually not one for witty speeches -- delivered one zinger after another. Many were aimed at his potential 2008 gubernatorial challenger, Democrat Jay Nixon.

Blunt's administration and Nixon's attorney general's office frequently have been at odds over the past two years on the best approach to state policies -- sometimes sparring in court. And Nixon recently delivered a blistering televised rebuttal to Blunt's prime-time State of the State speech.

"We get along perhaps better than people might think," Blunt told Republicans at their banquet. "I can call Jay Nixon any time of day -- night or day, give him a call -- and he'll always hang up on me."

Blunt has not officially announced his 2008 re-election campaign, and isn't likely to do so until around the start of 2008. But earlier Friday, Blunt called a news conference to announce he was running -- in a St. Louis marathon, as part of a four-person team.

He repeated the joke Friday night, again at Nixon's expense.

"You might have noticed Jay Nixon is really always against whatever I'm for," Blunt said. "After I announced that I was running in this four-man marathon as a part of a four-man team ... He announced his opposition to running, his opposition to teamwork and announced he was suing the St. Louis marathon."

Separately, Blunt said jokingly, his 1-year-old son, Branch, was crying one day from almost 3 p.m. until midnight. "It sounded like a Jay Nixon press conference," Blunt said to hearty Republican applause.

Blunt's brother and campaign helper, Andy Blunt, insisted the governor had written the speech -- and most of the jokes -- himself. Some of the governor's staff concurred.

"He decided to break out of the mold and do something a little different," Andy Blunt said.

Andy Blunt also is a lobbyist, who until last month had represented AmerenUE, one of the state's largest utility companies. Ameren has been stung by a recent spate of widespread and prolonged power outages, especially in the St. Louis area, after a pair of summer and winter storms.

Blunt has been critical of Ameren because of the power outages -- and made another joke at the company's expense Thursday night.

"I do have a serious announcement," the governor said at one point. "There are reports that we will have snow early next week, and there will be freezing rain perhaps accompanying that snow early next week.

"And to prepare for that storm, Ameren has announced tonight that it will cut power to 100,000 customers."