Mitt Romney, Barack Obama to trade jabs at Al Smith dinner The two presidential candidates took a break from the caustic criticism of the campaign trail to score political points with biting humor last night in New York City. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney peeled off the stump Thursday to attend the annual Al Smith Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. During presidential election years, the event brings the candidates to the same stage to trade barbs and self-deprecating zingers as the race enter its final weeks. The white-tie affair raises millions for the Gov. Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation and is organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York to benefit needy children. More than 1600 were scheduled to attend the dinner. The menu includes poached lobster tail and dark chocolate tropical fruit cadeau. Tickets start at $2500. The diocese hopes to raise $5 million in grants this year. Last year it gave out $2 million in grants. President Barack Obama also taped an episode of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” while he’s in Manhattan. The show aired late yesterday. Comedy Central host Jon Stewart pressed Obama over the government’s changing explanation about the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, according to the Associated Press. When Stewart suggested that even Obama would concede his administration’s coordination and communication had not been “optimal,” Obama said: “If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal. We’re going to fix it. All of it <b>…</b>