Washington, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – President Obama jabbed at himself, as well as a good portion of the Washington Institution, Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents Dinner.

“I had an entire speech prepared, for this wonderful occasion, but now that I’m here, I am going to try something a little different. I am going to speak from the heart; I am going to speak off the cuff. Good evening, pause for laughter.” Obama jested Saturday night, poking fun at his use of teleprompters. The evening was generally light-hearted, and even Obama himself was not afraid to lampoon specific members of the audience.

The jokes were spread evenly across both parties, and pertained to recent events. He started off his speech by saying “I am Barack Obama, most of you covered me, all of you voted for me. Apologies to the Fox table.”

President Obama mentioned that Sasha and Malia were not at the dinner because they were grounded, he continued by saying that joyriding in Air Force One over Manhattan was not acceptable; referencing the photo-op disaster that occurred a few weeks prior.

President Obama was not afraid to step on any toes, as he poked fun at Dick Cheney for not being able to attend the dinner as he was busy writing his memoirs, currently titled “How to shoot friends and interrogate people.” He also made fun of RNC Chairman, Michael Steele, for his ‘urban’ vernaculars. In general, the crowd remained open and enthusiastic.

Wanda Sykes was the evenings featured entertainer, and she had a warm response from the audience. Even some of her more off-color jokes received uproar of laughter from the audience. Chief among them, her jokes about Rush Limbaugh “Rush Limbaugh, ‘I want the country to fail’, I hope his kidneys fail, how about that?” This was followed by her remarks regarding Sarah Palin having been scheduled to appear at the White House Correspondents Dinner but having pulled out at the last minute, Sykes then remarked: “Somebody should tell her that’s not really how you practice abstinence.”

The White House Correspondents Dinner begun in 1920 and has become a Washington, D.C. tradition. The first president to attend was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Recently, the featured entertainer has been a comedian and has taken on the characteristics of a roast, targeting specifically the President.