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The GOP's in-house comic

Brad Stine landed the gig, sort of. The conservative and Christian comedian, who really wanted to perform at the Republican National Convention, didn't win the same billing as Michael W. Smith or Third Day, but NPR's Talk of the Nation mentions that he performed at "R: The Party," hosted by the hard-partying Bush twins (click here for Talk of the Nation's interview, which lasts just over three minutes). A radio actualities page on the convention website describes him as "Brad Stein, Convention Comedian" (click here for Stine's one-minute paean to George W. Bush).

The GOP convention is not the first venue to botch Stine's name. In an interview on Thursday with Terry Gross of Fresh Air, Stine joked about people who confuse him with Ben Stein, the former Nixon speechwriter, harried teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and egghead host of the campy game show Win Ben Stein's Money. When Gross said his name "sounded so Jewish," Stine talked about wishing he could be Jewish (or left-handed). Perhaps most amazing of all, Stine managed to make Gross -- not your typical patron of Christian-subculture comedy -- laugh several times.

If Stine finally realizes his dream of performing on The Tonight Show, he may have to drop his career-defining complaint about being held back because of his faith and his hairy-chested patriotism.