REPARTEE'

How many times after being verbally skewered by someone before they left the room did you comment to yourself,"!@#$, I wish I had said this in reply".

That's repartee - and we've all been there. Here's some folks who seemingly avoided our embarassment:

WINSTON CHURCHILL:

British MP: "Mr. Churchill, must you fall asleep while I'm speaking?"

Churchill: "No, it's purely voluntary."

Lady Astor: "Winston, if you were my husband, I'd put poison in your coffee."

Churchill: "Nancy, if you were my wife, I'd drink it."

CALVIN COOLIDGE:

Woman: "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you."

Coolidge: "You lose."

COOLIDGE vs a lady at a White house Dinner:

Lady:"What do you think of the singers execution?"

Coolidge: "I'm all for it."

THOMAS REED VS HENRY CLAY:

Clay: "I would rather be right than be President."

Reed: "The gentleman need not trouble himself. He'll never be either."

CLAY VS MASS SENATOR DANIEL WEBSTER after seeing a pack of
mules walk by:"

Webster: "There goes a number of your Kentucky constituents".

Clay: "Yes, they must be on their way to Massachusetts to teach
school."

NY Mayor ED KOCH vs a reporter who insisted upon pressing a
point about an inconsistent statement Koch had made.

"I can explain it to you; I can't comprehend it for you."


ABE LINCOLN TO STEPHEN DOUGHLAS WHO CALLED Abe "two-faced":

"I leave it to my audience, If I had another face, do you think
I would wear this one?"

ACTRESS MIRIAM HOPKINS AND A ANONYMOUS SINGER:

Singer: "You know, my dear, I insured my voice for $50,000."

Hopkins: "That's wonderful. And, what did you do with the money?"

BILL CLINTON VS DAN QUAYLE - after Quayle revealed that he planned to be a 'pit bull' in the 1992 campaign against Clinton & Gore:

Clinton: "That's got every fire hydrant in America worried."

PHILOSOPHER PERICLES AND A YOUNGER RIVAL ALCIBADES:

Pericles: " When I was your age, Alcibiades, I talked just the way
you are now talking."

Alcibiades "If only I had known you, Pericles, when you were at
your best."

REVEREND EDWARD EVERETT HALE VS THE U.S. SENATE - when asked if he prayed for the Senators (many years ago.):

HALE: "No, I look at the Senators and pray for the country."

Some things never change - just the repartee.

LET US PRAY!