Obama delights guests at annual dinner

US President Barack Obama poked fun at himself speaking at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

He took playful digs at his frequent use of a teleprompter.

Republicans were also a target. Mr Obama 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'.

Mr Cheney once accidentally shot and injured a friend while on a hunting trip while he has robustly defended the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

The $200 (149.22)-per-ticket dinner also attracted entertainment celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Sting, Steven Spielberg and Jon Bon Jovi to raise money for charity.

Mr Obama poked fun at his difficulty in assembling a Cabinet.

"No president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly," Mr Obama said. The president's two top choices for the position dropped out.

About 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, switched parties last month.

Mr Obama noted that he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been political rivals, but he 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," the president said, playing off the threat of a spreading swine flu virus that has targeted Mexico the most.