Los Angeles - US President Barack Obama mixed jokes and politics Thursday night as he made the first appearance of a sitting US president on a late night chat show.

   Appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Los Angeles, Obama joked that Washington "was a little bit like American Idol, except everybody is Simon Cowell," referring to the hypercritical judge on the top-rated television talent show.

   On a more serious note, he reiterated his outrage at the awarding of huge bonuses to executives of failed companies that needed government bailouts to survive and pledged huge investments in research that would reduce America's dependence on foreign oil while also tackling the problem of global warming.

   He joked that his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, "got a whole other level of cool" when travelling on the presidential aircraft Air Force One and Marine One, where they were most excited by the free sweets that are handed out.

   However, he did trigger a moment of controversy when talking about how he had been practising in the White House bowling alley after his dismal attempts at the sport during his campaign had made him the butt of numerous jokes.

   "It was like the Special Olympics or something," Obama said, describing his limited skills.

   Some took the comment as an insult to the disabled people who compete in those games. But Obama's spokesman said the offhand remark "was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics. He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful programme that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world."