Lee's ripe for roasting

"Is congressman Chris Lee here? He left his phone."

As emcee of the first big media-political dinner of the season, Jake Tapper waited, oh, about two seconds to get around to joking about Washington's latest sex scandal.

It was a relief, really. The only thing anyone was talking about Wednesday night at the reception before the Washington Press Club Foundation's annual congressional dinner was the New York second-termer's Craigslist come-on and abrupt resignation just hours earlier: How could anyone be so clueless? Why did he use his real name? Did he look good in that photo? (The consensus: Meh.) And how swiftly the sordid, tantalizing story played out.

"I have to tell you, I'm disappointed," Tapper told the crowd at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. "I want more." And then the ABC newsman delivered the coup de grace: "Now he can be a divorced lobbyist for real, not just online."

Too soon? In a ballroom filled with congressmen and reporters, the only question was not if, but who, would be the first to mention the Man in the Mirror. The frisson of scandal gave a jolt of energy to the foundation's 67th dinner, an annual opportunity for newbie lawmakers to introduce themselves to D.C. via witty speeches.

Which is always harder than it looks. The standout: Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who won Joe Biden's old seat over media-magnet Christine O'Donnell. "Never in my wildest dreams was I convinced I would be a United States senator . . . until right at the end there, when it was pretty obvious." But Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) struggled through their riffs. (A tip, ladies: professional joke writers.) Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), the "Real World" star-turned-politician, hit only one out of the park. Turning to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Duffy quipped: "We do have something in common: We're both the last speaker."

The night's takeaway: Don't try comedy without a little help. And for heaven's sake, don't turn elected office into an audition for Chippendales. "Remember, Craigslist is for selling your car," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). "Otherwise, stay off it."