I'd like clr to expand on why he reckons politicians with a sense of humour might be more dangerous. I suppose if it makes people like them more than they deserve, that's a bit dangeroius.

Or I suppose that a top politicians with a penchant for practical jokes and so forth might entail risks. Whoopee cushions for example for visiting VIPs - though thewre the big danger would be if they didn't have a sense of humour.

And when Reagan jocularly announced that the USAF was bombing Russia without realising that the tapes were still running, that wasn't such a great idea.

I suppose what I really mean by a sense of humour is not so much being particularly funny, it's an ability to share a joke against yourself, and genuinely find it funny. It's an aspect of humility, and I think that's rather important. I don't think it's very charcteristic of professional comedians either.