O'Brien and New Jersey Mayor Turn Conflict into Comedy

Talk show host Conan O'Brien and Newark Mayor Cory Booker called it a truce on "The Tonight Show."
The dispute began last month when O’Brien joked that the mayor’s health plan for residents consisted of “a bus ticket out of Newark.”
Many politicians respond angrily when a comedian insults them or their constituency. Most recently, David Letterman and Sarah Palin had a war of words over a joke aimed at Palin's daughter.
However, Booker took a different route and responded with a little joke of his own.

Smart move. Reacting with a timely and humorous response shows that the mayor knows how to laugh, but that he also has the guts to defend his city.
Booker appeared on O'Brien's show on October 12.
“Many jokes are made about Newark by comedians,” O’Brien said on Friday’s show. “You honed in on me like a cruise missile. Why me, Mayor Booker?”
“When there’s a herd going after you, you have to sort of look at the weakest gazelle,” Booker joked.
O'Brien and Booker worked off one another like a comic duo.
Attempting to make peace, Conan introduced an oversized Newark Joke Jar, in which he can insert $500 whenever he makes a joke about Newark.
"You can rest assured that the money’s safe because the jar isn’t in Newark!" he cracked, before immediately going to dump cash in the oversized Jar, referring to Newark's high crime rates.
After the commercial break, things got a little more serious, and Booker got a chance to discuss many of his crime reduction initiatives in Newark. Conan concluded by donating, with the help of NBC, $100,000 to Booker’s Newark Now charity.
When it became clear that O'Brien was about to say that he would be making a donation to Booker's charity, I never expected him to give the actual figure. He seemed uncomfortable saying that he was personally giving $50,000.
"It was a joke," said Conan. "And, man, was it expensive."
I think it is refreshing to see a politician with a sense of humor.
So do you think Booker's response was appropriate or do you think he should have responded in a different manner?
See you tomorrow night!