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"And now for something completely different.Comedian John Cleese has a crush on Obama - and he wants to be the White House hopeful&#039;s speechwriter.The legendary British funnyman, known for his hilarity in the groundbreaking &amp;quot;Monty Python&amp;quot; TV series and movies, told a British newspaper that his comedic chops could help the Democrat capture the Oval Office.&amp;quot;I am due to come to Europe in November, but I may be tied up until then because if Barack Obama gets the nomination, I&#039;m going to offer my services to him as a speechwriter because I think he is a brilliant man,&amp;quot; Cleese, 68, told the Western Daily Press regional paper.&amp;quot;I live in California now and only come back to England in May or June when my personal assistant tells me it is safe to do so,&amp;quot; Cleese said.While Obama may not need much help with his speechwriting - so far his speeches seem to be getting plenty of accolades - campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the candidate is ready to negotiate employment opportunities with Cleese.&amp;quot;If he can throw in a cameo in the next &#039;Monty Python&#039; movie, we have a deal,&amp;quot; Psaki said.Cleese, who donated $2,300 to Obama&#039;s campaign, first became internationally famous in the 1970s as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. One of his best-known roles was as a government official for the Ministry of Silly Walks.He&#039;s also known for his work on the TV series &amp;quot;Fawlty Towers&amp;quot; and the movie &amp;quot;A Fish Called Wanda.&amp;quot;Although known for his rapier wit, Cleese may have been channeling Obama&#039;s campaign theme when he tossed out this famous quote attributed to him: &amp;quot;You don&#039;t have to be the Dalai Lama to tell people that life&#039;s about change.&amp;quot;And he has shown no shortage of political humor, once riffing, &amp;quot;If life were fair, Dan Quayle would be making a living asking, &#039;Do you want fries with that?&#039;&amp;quot;Cleese did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily News on Tuesday.msaul@nydailynews.com"
<https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/monty-python-icon-john-cleese-stumps-barack-obama-speechwriter-article-1.280750>