Since shooting a man in the face, Vice President Dick Cheney has endured a withering comic assault, sitting idly by as jokesters everywhere have made him a near-constant butt of jokes. But Cheney tried to turn the tables this week with his own stand-up comedy act at the annual Radio & TV Correspondents' dinner, poking fun at the media, White House officials, and himself.

"I feel very comfortable up here," Cheney said. "The lighting could be better, but I can still see the whites of your eyes."

He then went on to narrate a humorous slide show. A sample: "I really spend a lot of time every day with the most powerful man in Washington," Cheney said, as a slide of Karl Rove appeared to loud laughs. "So powerful, in fact, that he inserted that line in my remarks."

All in all, Cheney's stand-up shtick was a bit lackluster. As blogger and political comedy guru Howard Mortman noted, Cheney's routine was predictable, and the slide show gimmick trite. (President Bush has relied on slide shows as a comedy crutch several times over the years, including one notably bizarre routine in which he showed a picture of Cheney apparently urinating on the door to the Oval Office.)

Cheney was easily upstaged by the evening's headliner, comedian/impressionist Frank Caliendo, who did a wicked Bush impersonation. We don't have the video yet, but you can view this hilarious clip from Caliendo's recent appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman.

Next up on the Washington comedy circuit is the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on April 29, where it will be hard for anyone to top last year's widely acclaimed "Desperate Housewife" routine by First Lady Laura Bush.

See also: Bush Ribs Cheney at Gridiron Roast

• Related: Cheney Jokes | Bush's Comic Speeches | Clinton's 'Final Days'