Here now is the next installment of our new regular series — the Joke Reality Check — in which we put jokes told on the campaign trail or in the media or in the general political discussion through a VIP check-up and washing. We check whether jokes are stolen, poorly-premised, or poorly written or delivered. And we offer strategic advice to improve the attempt.

Bananas!

That’s right, bananas!

Cheers to John McCain for the best punchline we’ve heard on the campaign trail in a long, long time.  Most politicians’ jokes involve elaborate set-up and equally elaborate punchlines, turning even the funniest concept into awkward, humorless vapor.

Not so with John McCain during last night’s Republican debate at the Reagan library:

“I heard Gov. Romney describe his record, as I understand it his record was he raised taxes by $730 million — he called them fees. I’m sure the people that had to pay it, whether they called them bananas, they still had to pay $730 million extra.”

Bananas — hilarious!  There’s so much good to say about that:

• The word itself sounds funny
• It’s almost self-deprecating — isn’t McCain himself supposed to be bananas?
• It reminds us of Woody Allen:

Now, truth be told, McCain has used “bananas” as a punchline before, as this YouTube video evidence shows

But, as Mr. Tally Man proved by beating Mr. Taliban, banana works in so many places. Much more than the “wall like a duck, quack like a duck, must be a duck” hackneyed formula.

Bananas also reminds us fondly of Bob Dole, who long ago said that he followed Strom Thurmond’s example at Capitol Hill receptions. “If he takes a shrimp, I take a shrimp. If he takes a banana, I take a banana.”

Yes, banana — always funny.  No wonder the old folks are called the greatest generation.