The stark contrast between one of Washington, D.C.,’s most interesting couples proved comedic and informative Monday.

James Carville and Mary Matalin, in town for today’s “Convocation on Critical Issues” at Missouri Western State University, entertained a packed house Monday evening at a pre-convocation dinner at Western’s Fulkerson Center.

Referring to her bald, Democratic husband as “Corporal Cueball,” Ms. Matalin opened with comedic jibes at Mr. Carville’s resume, which includes a book the couple co-wrote.

“I haven’t read his half,” she joked, adding that when people ask how they make their marriage work, she responds, “I don’t listen to him.”

Ms. Matalin, who started working in Washington, D.C., during the Reagan administration, was the assistant to President George W. Bush and at the same time played counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney.

She drew comparisons to the divide between Democrats and Republicans using a letter Mr. Carville wrote to her while they were dating and she was having doubts about their relationship. At the time, he was the lead strategist on the Clinton presidential campaign and she was working for President George H.W. Bush.

“It’s going to work because it has to work,” she said, quoting the letter.

Mr. Carville made his mark in the 1992 presidential election helping bring the Clintons to the White House. Outside of politics, he’s also had roles in movies including “Old School,” where he played himself, and in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” where he portrayed the governor of Missouri, Thomas Crittendon.

Taking questions from local media before the dinner and from the audience after the dinner, the couple gave serious responses.

Asked what issues candidates should be talking about that they aren’t currently talking about, Ms. Matalin said current events leave little room for much more than coverage of the economic situation. However, she said there should be discussions about reducing the cost of health care and last week’s lifting of the 27-year moratorium on off-shore drilling, as well as Social Security and Medicare reform.

“(People) really do want straight talk,” she said.

Mr. Carville, who campaigned for Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, said Missouri’s position as a swing state has more bearing on the Republicans than the Democrats.

“I can give you a scenario where a Democrat can win (the overall election) by losing Missouri,” he said of the presidential election. “I cannot give you a scenario how a Republican can win (the overall election) and lose in Missouri.”

The couple will appear at the M.O. Looney Complex at Western at 9:30 a.m. today. Admission is free and open to the public.

Jimmy Myers can be reached

at jimmym@npgco.com.

Missouri Western State University’s

Convocation on Critical Issues.

Who: James Carville and Mary Matalin

When: 9:30 a.m. today

Where: M.O. Looney Complex on Western’s campus. Admission is free and open to the public.