The Presidential election was too close to call. Neither the Republican candidate nor the Democrat candidate had enough votes to win. There was much talk about ballot recounting and court challenges, but a week-long ice fishing competition  seemed the sportsmanlike way to settle things. The candidate that caught the most fish at the end of the week would win the election.

After much back and forth discussion, it was decided that the contest would take place on a remote frozen lake in northern Michigan. There were to be no observers present, and both men would be sent out separately on the isolated lake, returning at 5 P.M. with their catch for counting and verification by a team of neutral judges.

At the end of the first day, John McCain returned to the starting line with ten fish. Soon after, Obama returned with none. Everyone assumed he was just having a bad day and would do better the following day.

At the end of the second day, McCain returned with twenty fish and Obama once again returned empty handed. That evening, Harry Reid met secretly with Obama and said, “Barack, I think John McCain is a low-life, cheatin’ SOB. I want you to go out tomorrow and don’t even bother fishing. Just spy on him and find out how he’s cheating!”

The next night (after McCain had returned with another fifty fish), Reid met with Obama and asked, “So, tell me, how is the old snake cheating?”

Obama replied, “Harry, you’re not gonna believe this, but he’s cutting holes in the ice!”