Even swine flu raises a laugh as Obama turns comedian

PRESIDENT Barack Obama delighted diners when he served as comedian-in-chief at a celebrity-studded dinner held at the White House.

In a series of one-liners, the president poked fun at his own administration and directed playful jibes at his critics, as well as the Republican party.

Mr Obama told a throng of Hollywood stars, politicians and journalists, who paid $200 (£133) a head to attend Saturday night's charity event: "I believe that my next 100 days will be so successful that I will be able to complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day, I will rest."

Mr Obama also joked that former vice-president Dick Cheney could not make the dinner because he is writing his memoir, How To Shoot Friends and Interrogate People – alluding to the time Mr Cheney, who has robustly defended the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, once accidentally shot and injured a friend while on a hunting trip.

Acknowledging the political rivalry between himself and Hillary Clinton, whom he appointed as Secretary of State after he was elected president, Mr Obama assured the audience: "These days, we could not be closer. In fact, the second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug," he said, playing on the threat of the spreading swine flu virus.

The annual dinner for the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) has been attended by every president since Calvin Coolidge. The WHCA was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Mr Obama said: "I must confess, I really did not want to be here tonight. But I knew I had to come. That's one more problem that I inherited from George W Bush."

Mr Obama went on to poke fun at the difficulty he had in assembling a cabinet. "No president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly," he said, alluding to the fact his two top choices for the position dropped out.

Turning to the Democratic party, he said his administration has helped in "bringing in fresh, young faces, like Arlen Specter" – the 79-year-old Pennsylvania senator, a former Republican, who defected to the Democrats last month.

Among those attending the dinner were the actors Eva Longoria Parker, Christian Slater and Natalie Portman, as well as musicians Sting and Jon Bon Jovi and the director Steven Spielberg. Richard Phillips, the captain who was held hostage by Somali pirates after his cargo ship was attacked and who was rescued by US navy on Mr Obama's orders, was also there.

Proceeds from the dinner, $98,000 (£65,000), will help to feed the hungry and fund journalism scholarships.

The president wasn't the only one to tell jokes. Wanda Sykes, the dinner's entertainer, poked fun at Mr Obama giving the Queen an iPhone during a recent visit.