Play of the Day: Looking Back at Bush, Looking Forward to Mars

With the Thursday dedication of The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, late-night hosts have been dusting off jokes from the previous decade. David Letterman spent most of his monologue on Bush, showing the audience a highlight reel of physical Bush gags. He also examined recent polling that suggests the American public misses the 43rd president and showed an illustration of what Dick Cheney’s library might look like. Letterman rival Jay Leno also had some Bush jokes, though he started his off with a shot at current president Barack Obama. Of course, Leno also had time to make fun of Bush’s intelligence, as well.

This week, photos of NASA’s Mars rover’s path on the red planet took the Internet by storm and everyone noticed. Late Night’s Jimmy Fallon took a closer look at the photograph, while Jimmy Kimmel thinks the dirty photo might be good public relations. On Comedy Central, Stephen Colbert found the craft’s pattern to be a triumph around which Americans can unite.

Fast forward to 4:35 to see how the Rover photo might help Earth if there is intelligent life on Mars.