Just paying his dues. If you want to be Secretary of State, sometimes you have to go out there and tease the other guy about crapping his pants.

Kerry tried to relay to the audience what it is like to face the press corps’ inquiries.

“I don’t know if any of you know what it’s like. I do, obviously,” he said. “I’ve been asked all of those brilliant questions that were repeated this year.”

“Barack got asked the famous boxers or briefs question,” Kerry went on. “I was tempted to say commando.”

The senator said Obama successfully parried that question but that John McCain, the GOP nominee, had some problems.

“Then they asked McCain and McCain said, ‘Depends,'” Kerry said to lots of laughter from the crowd.

McCain’s seven years older than Kerry. I gave Olby a break for his own achingly lame attempt at humor in this vein awhile back, so I guess I’m duty bound to wave Waffles through, too. Memo to nutroots denizens itching to goof on McCain’s age: If you’re going to go for it, go all out.