C'est la vie as prank call embarrasses Palin

FOR someone who could soon be a heartbeat away from being the leader of the free world, it was hardly a performance likely to win over wavering voters.

Sarah Palin, running-mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, was yesterday a laughing stock after falling for a spoof call by a radio presenter pretending to be French president Nicolas Sarkozy. With 59 per cent of Americans already regarding her as unfit for office, Mrs Palin spent six minutes failing to realise that she was being set up by Canadian comedian Marc-Antoine Audette. He and partner Sebastian Trudel are known as the Masked Avengers, and their other victims include President Sarkozy, ex-French president Jacques Chirac, Paul McCartney and Britney Spears.

When Tony Blair was subjected to a spoof call in 1998 from comedian Jon Culshaw – who posed as the then Tory leader William Hague – it took him only seconds to spot the joke, though he played along.

But Mrs Palin missed a number of jokes from "President Sarkozy", from his wish to go hunting with her to his claim his wife Carla Bruni was "so hot in bed" and had written a song for Mrs Palin. He said his special US adviser was Johnny Hallyday – the veteran musician and actor known as the "French Elvis".

He told Mrs Palin hunting was one of his favourite hobbies. Speaking English in a fake French accent, he said: "I just love killing those animals. Mmmm, take away life, that is so fun." He said it would not be a good idea to invite Dick Cheney, the US vice-president who accidentally shot and injured a hunting partner during a quail hunt in Texas in 2006. Mrs Palin responded: "I'll be a careful shot."

She also failed to spot when Audette gave the name of Canadian singer, Stef Carse, as the Canadian prime minister, rather than the current incumbent Stephen Harper – and he also named a fellow comedian as the Governor of Quebec.

Mr Audette said he wanted to check whether Mrs Palin had been right to complain about hostile coverage from some US media organisations. "We tried to speak with her a little bit about foreign affairs, and well, it gave the result that you can air," he told the BBC.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Palin said: "Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn she'd joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie."

Barack Obama's spokesman said: "I'm glad we check out our calls before we hand the phone to Barack Obama."

• Read the full transcript of the conversation

• Listen to a recording of the prank call