The Pope, The Queen, and Nelson Mandela Walk Into a Bar...

"I have known few greater honours than the opportunity to address the Mother of Parliaments at Westminster Hall. I am told the last three speakers here have been the Pope, Her Majesty the Queen, and Nelson Mandela, which is either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke."

President Barack Obama, opening his speech to Parliament today. Heh!  It was a winner, but also a potential disaster.  (Shades of good old Oscar Wilde.)

This was a swagger joke.  It's an I-have-the-confidence-to-tell-this-joke joke. You might even call it a post-Osama bin Laden joke.  Who else is going to open their speech to Parliament with that joke -- Angela Merkel? 

Obama carried it off -- and the payoff was in that second mini-wave of laughter as the MPs got the added kick: "Did he really just risk that joke?"

The BBC has the full video and speech transcript.