November 1, 2008 [LINK / comment]
To mark the final weekend of the historic Campaign 2008, Saturday Night Live put on a "double header" show this evening. John McCain joined Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin to open the 11:30 show, giving us a rare glimpse of his gentle, self-deprecating nature. I don't know how McCain had enough time to rehearse, given his busy campaign schedule, but he came across as poised and good-natured.
SNL guest host Ben Affleck "endorsed" McCain (in an ironic sense, alluding to Affleck's past support for losing candidates) during his greeting monologue, and later in the show did a great job playing MSNBC's Keith Olberman. I was vaguely aware that Olberman had an ugly reputation as a pompous ass among conservatives, but since I rarely watched MSNBC, I didn't realize how bad he really is. After watching a few times and convincing myself that Olberman was not just getting carried away with a parody or having a bad night, I now have to conclude that he is a bona fide nut case. I'll be the first to admit that President Bush has major deficiencies as a leader and is off-base on key policy issues, but the way Olberman froths at the mouth in denouncing him makes the Democrats look bad. At a time when Barack Obama's electoral fortunes hinge on convincing independent voters that he and his party are reasonable, dependable people, the rantings of left-wing loudmouths like Keith Olberman are the last thing the Dems need.