Talk about economy goes into Late Night

When late-night television features a sitting President,its usually as material for a stand-up routine....

When late-night television features a sitting President,its usually as material for a stand-up routine. But on Thursday,President Barack Obama toppled another barrier when he tried to sell Jay Leno on his economic recovery plan.

Obama held his own with the comedian,countering Lenos thrusts about the executive bonuses at the AIG by saying that the only place where I think this might work is Hollywood.

Obama did not explicitly endorse the bill passed by the House on Thursday that would tax bonuses paid to those whose companies received large amounts of federal bailout money,saying the moneys already gone out.

When Leno asked whether someone should go to jail for the economic debacle,Obama replied,Most of what got us into trouble was perfectly legal.

For Obama,the appearance on The Tonight Show was something of a gamble. The President himself acknowledged on Thursday at a town-hall-style meeting in Los Angeles that he was getting some flak from critics who said he should be spending his time fixing the economy and not going on late-night television.

In his appearance with Leno,Obama walked a tightrope between projecting good humour and projecting a presidential air. For instance,he looked taken aback when Leno joked that the President had laid the problems of the banking sector at the doorstep of the Treasury secretary,Timothy F Geithner. I love how you say its his problem, Leno said.

Obama stared at him for a few seconds,stone-faced. Then he broke into a laugh,as if finally getting the joke. All of this is my responsibility, Obama said. Im trying to break a pattern in Washington where everybodys always looking for someone to blame.