Months before his term ends, US president pokes fun at friends, foes

WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton was teased, his Republican opponents twitted, and the media was mercilessly baited. Criticized and crucified for much of the time, the U.S President gets his own back at his tormentors at a couple of Washington DC events every year, and President Obama appears to have certifiably mastered both the genre and the occasion.

Now in the last quarter of his two-term Presidency, here are some of the zingers Obama essayed at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday night:

Ridiculing the speculation that he is a closet Muslim: Being President is never easy. I still have to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats, negotiate with Iran -- all while finding time to pray five times a day.

About his reputation as an intellectual snob: Now, look, it is true I have not managed to make everybody happy. Six years into my presidency, some people still say I'm arrogant and aloof, condescending. Some people are dumb. No wonder I don't meet with them.

Even his fellow Democrat and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who began her 2016 Presidential campaign with a SUV ride, was not spared: For many Americans, this is still a time of deep uncertainty. For example, I have one friend -- just a few weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year. And she's now living out of a van in Iowa.

Clinton's potential rival Jeb Bush also got a jab: There is one issue on every reporter's mind and that is 2016. Already, we've seen some missteps. It turns out Jeb Bush identified himself as ''Hispanic'' back in 2009. Which you know what, look, I understand. It's an innocent mistake. Reminds me of when I identified myself as ''American'' back in 1961.

Bernie Sanders, the leftist Senator from Vermont, was a useful prop to poke fun at rumors of his pot-smoking ways and America's anti-socialism: Bernie Sanders might run. I like Bernie. Bernie is an interesting guy. Apparently some folks really want to see a pot-smoking socialist in the White House. We could get a third Obama term after all. It could happen

Among his more self-effacing jokes that also took a swing at his opponents: It is no wonder that people keep pointing out how the presidency has aged me. I look so old, John Boehner has already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral

And that's not all people say about me. A few weeks ago, Dick Cheney says he thinks I'm the worst President of his lifetime. Which is interesting, because I think Dick Cheney is the worst President of my lifetime. (Laughter and applause.) It's quite a coincidence.

Mike Huckabee recently said people shouldn't join our military until a true conservative is elected President. Think about that. It was so outrageous, 47 Ayatollahs wrote us a letter trying to explain to Huckabee how our system works. (Laughter.)

It gets worse. Just this week, Michele Bachmann actually predicted that I would bring about the biblical end of days Now that's a legacy! (Laughter.) That's big. I mean, Lincoln, Washington -- they didn't do that.

Obama too a dig at cable television for its poor quality and low ratings: As always, the reporters here had a lot to cover over the last year....one big story was the brutal winter. The polar vortex caused so many record lows, they renamed it ''MSNBC.''

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