Gamely Mitchell put on the coat, three sizes too small, and tried to make a joke of it.

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Even the commentariat and editorialists believe they need to take the news seriously: Who will buy their papers and magazines if they make a joke of it?

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Now I just kind of made it where, I kind of make a joke, I laugh it off, you know?

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If it were a military threat from such a tiny country, the overwhelming military strength of the rest of the world would make it a joke.

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