Obama's taste for stand-up

U.S. President Barack Obama swapped the seriousness of politics for the role of stand-up funnyman at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING (English):

"Despite many obstacles much has changed during my time in office. Four years ago I was locked in a brutal primary battle with Hillary Clinton. Four years later she won't stop drunk texting me from Cartagena."

Turning his attention to his republican rivals:

SOUNDBITE: U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING (English):

"I'm not going to attack any of the Republican candidates. Take Mitt Romney. He and I actually have a lot in common. We both think of our wives as our better halves, and polls show to an alarmingly insulting extent the American people agree. We both also have degrees from Harvard. I have one, and he has two. What a snob."

The scandal over the alleged involvement of U.S. Secret Service agents with prostitutes in Colombia also came up.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SAYING (English):

"Just to set the record straight I do enjoy attending these dinners. In fact I had a lot more material prepared but I have to get the Secret Service home in time for their new curfew."

The black-tie event brought together many of the nations' news media elite and an array of celebrities.

Paul Chapman, Reuters