What should the United States do to stop what's going on in Freedonia?

Asked that question, a number of House freshmen, clearly not fans of the Marx Brothers, offered answers that included "take action" and "it's a different situation than the Middle East."

Not one got the joke.

The joker was Spy magazine, whose staff revived the sovereign but fictitious nation of Freedonia from "Duck Soup," the 1933 Marx Brothers movie.

Posing as the host of a New York radio talk show, Spy's staff called about 20 first-term House members and, after a series of innocuous questions, asked, "Do you approve of what we're doing to stop what's going on in Freedonia?" or "Do you approve of what we're doing to stop ethnic cleansing in Freedonia?"

The responses, apparently based on the assumption that the questioner was asking about Bosnia, came readily.