In his monologue at last weekend's White House correspondents' dinner, President Obama generally followed two rules of presidential comedy.

One, make fun of yourself.

Second, mock your critics, but don't go overboard -- the rule Obama obviously preferred.

Even when he joked about his own graying hair, Obama called out his critics: "These days, I look in the mirror and I have to admit -- I'm not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be."

Obama ascended the lectern not to the strains of Hail to the Chief, but to a rap song.

"How do you like my new entrance music?" Obama said. "Rush Limbaugh warned you about this -- second term, baby! We're changing things around here a little bit!"

He added: "Actually, my advisers were a little worried about the new rap entrance music. They are a little more traditional. They suggested that I should start with some jokes at my own expense, just take myself down a peg.

"I was like, guys, after four and a half years, how many pegs are there left?"

Still, Obama seemed more to enjoy jokes about political opponents, and about the press.

Noting that New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd "said I could solve all my problems if I were just more like Michael Douglas in (the film) The American President," Obama looked for Douglas in the crowd and said: "Michael, what's your secret, man?

"Could it be that you were an actor in an Aaron Sorkin liberal fantasy? Might that have something to do with it? I don't know. Check in with me. Maybe it's something else."

Referring to the coverage of the Boston Marathon attack, Obama also said at one point: "I know CNN has taken some knocks lately, but the fact is I admire their commitment to cover all sides of a story, just in case one of them happens to be accurate."

As for the rest of us reporters, Obama said: "The fact is I really do respect the press. I recognize that the press and I have different jobs to do. My job is to be president; your job is to keep me humble -- frankly, I think I'm doing my job better."

Turning to his partisan political opponents, Obama cited his recent dinners with Republican senators, and said, "I'll admit, it wasn't easy. I proposed a toast -- it died in committee."

Obama also cited one of his prominent critics, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell:


"Really? Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell? I'm sorry. I get frustrated sometimes."

The routine also included a hilarious video about Steven Spielberg's vision of an Obama film, a la Lincoln, and also starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

As with most of these correspondents' dinner routines, Obama ended on a serious note, paying tribute to the troops as well as first responders and volunteers during the Boston Marathon attack and the fertilizer plan explosion in Texas.

Obama's closing:

