McCain takes on Letterman in "Late Show" monologue

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain turned the tables on talk show host David Letterman on Tuesday with a comic monologue in which the 71-year-old senator got revenge for Letterman's jokes about his age.

In an April Fool's day appearance on CBS's "The Late Show with David Letterman," McCain, who would be the oldest person to serve a first U.S. presidential term if he wins the November election, showed he could take a joke by coming on stage at the end of Letterman's routine ribbing him.

"You think that stuff's pretty funny, don't you?" he asked Letterman, according to excerpts of the show released by CBS in advance of its broadcast on Tuesday night.

Letterman had said McCain "looks like the guy who always has wiry hair growing out of new places," and a string of similar quips about the candidate's age.

McCain's own monologue started: "Well, you look like a guy whose laptop would be seized by the authorities."

"You look like a guy caught smuggling reptiles in his pants," McCain continued, to laughter from the audience.

"You look like the guy who the neighbors later say, 'He mostly kept to himself."'

"You look like the night manager of a creepy motel."

McCain has been on a nostalgic tour this week of places that were instrumental to his upbringing as he tries to reintroduce himself to U.S. voters, and grab some headlines while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dominate news coverage with their battle for the Democratic nomination.

White House hopefuls are increasingly going out of their way to trade quips with the likes of comedians Jay Leno, Letterman and Jon Stewart.

It was on Letterman's show that McCain announced in February 2007 that he would run for the Republican presidential nomination, and he has appeared on Comedy Central network's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" around a dozen times.

(reporting by Claudia Parsons, editing by Vicki Allen)