Election Watch 2008

Heard on the Hill: Batman Jokes Begin

By Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton
Roll Call Newspaper Staff
July 28, 2008

While Sen. Patrick Leahy is tearing up the silver screen with his cameo appearance in the smashing-all-box-office-records Batman flick, "The Dark Knight," he's also taking some teasing from colleagues for his newfound star status.

During a Thursday news conference on an intellectual property bill, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) gave him a gentle poke. "I wonder if [Leahy] was all that concerned about protecting movies in the past, until his starring role in Batman," ribbed Specter, a co-sponsor of the bill.

And others are just enjoying riffing on their colleague's role. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) showed that he'd actually watched Leahy's scene in the movie, in which the Vermont Democrat plays a character who stands up to the movie's baddie, the Joker.

"In your breakout performance you said we will not be intimidated by thugs," Bayh added. "We are gathered here today to say we will not be intimidated by intellectual property thieves."

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