The next comedian to speak at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April has a hard act to follow. Last year, Stephen Colbert mocked the president to his face as many of the press in the audience sat stunned. (Whether Colbert "spoke truth to power" was the subject of a Gelf investigation.) This year's speaker is 69-year old impressionist Rich Little, who tells the New Yorker that his favorite young comedian is Robin Williams and that he won't even mention Iraq in his routine. But, he adds, he does have a biting laugh line about the war ready for other occasions: "George W. Bush here. I tell you, I'm between I-raq and a hard place."

Between Iraq and a Hard Place: A Brief History

In 1980, The Economist used the phrase for the title of a piece on the Iran-Iraq War's impact on the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In 1987, a prescient piece in Time of the same title warns that if Kuwait were invaded, it might be relying on the US to bail it out.

In 1990, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a similarly titled column from a distraught aunt as her nephew was shipped off to the Persian Gulf.

In 1998, a New York Post editorial of the same name blamed the Clinton administration for allowing Saddam to kick out weapons inspectors. Of the possibility of the use of American force in the future, the Post writes, "It's inevitable. Let's just hope it happens before Saddam is in a position to do injury to Americans."

In 2002, the Washington Post runs a piece by political satirist Art Buchwald (who died last week) that imagines a conversation between hawks and doves about the possibility of an American invasion. Here's a sample:

Doves: Suppose Saddam agrees to U.N. inspections. Do we still invade?
Hawks: That's up to the president. He still thinks his father should have done the dirty work during Desert Storm.
Doves: Why doesn't he say so?
Hawks: He can't because he plays golf with his father.

In 2003, The Capitol Steps use it for the title of one of their comedy albums.

In 2006, it becomes the title of a Martin Sheen-narrated documentary about the impact of the war on American troops.