Dana Stevens in Slate on Laura Bush's recent burst of hilarity and the speechwriter who made it happen:

In an interview with The New Yorker last year, [Landon] Parvin told Elizabeth Kolbert, "A politician will be in trouble and he'll say, 'Will you do me some lines on it?', because he's heard that humor can get him out of trouble. I tell them, depending on the situation, 'No, this is trouble. You should not make fun of this.' " Apparently Parvin's instincts were off at last year's Radio and Television Correspondents dinner, where a slide show he co-wrote of Bush poking around the White House, looking for WMD's under the furniture, drew a strong backlash the next day. A lot of people, including some war veterans, didn't double over in mirth at the idea that over 500 American troops (the number has since more than tripled) had lost their lives in a war over ... what again?

It's being said that Laura Bush is always joking around, is in fact a wicked fountain of wit. It makes sense; if it helps her get through her absurd spectacle of a life, it's probably saved her from losing it entirely. I say let her keep going until she brings down the whole administration.

Take My President, Please [Slate]
Stooping to Conquer: Why candidates need to make fun of themselves [New Yorker]
From Peek-a-boo to Sarcasm: Women's Humor as a Means of Both Connection and Resistance [Feminism and Nonviolence Studies]