The second of three SNL Weekend Update Thursday pre-election specials aired on October 16, 2008.  Watch the full episode here.  The cold open skit skewered the Final Presidential debate with SNL cast members Fred Armisen and Darrell Hammond as Presidential candidates, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.  The  skit was followed by “Weekend Update” with Amy Poehler  and Seth Meyers, with guest appearances from The Crazy McCain Rally Lady (Kristin Wiig) and Rev. Jesse Jackson (Darrell Hammond ).

Fred Armisen is getting so close to Barack Obama’s vocal tics and rhythms, from starting his points with “look,” to that guttural sound he makes while shifting gears between phrases that Obama may elicit laughs now for doing the same thing (Armisen’s portrayal is much more dour than the candidate actually is, though). Darrell Hammond is just about as cheery as John McCain, but was missing some of those wacky facial gestures, eyebrow wags and exaggerated expressions meant to indicate comic reaction. The show made up for it in a flight of fancy that began to approach surrealism.

It was based, of course, on the frequent mentions of Joe the Plumber, who has arose to become political kingmaker to tired topical joke within the span of 24 hours. Here, though, he was fully fleshed out as McCain’s imaginary friend, who lives in a clear box under his bed and is three and a half inches tall. He lives with McCain’s other imaginary friend, Simon, who won’t be in a McCain cabinet, Obama was scolded, because he is a unicorn.

Source: Joe the Plumber: Star of Debate and Now ‘SNL’ Show

Joe the Plumber (real name Joe Wurzelbacher) was the first of the real people who made headlines in recent days.  (See: Video: Joe the Plumber: Original Encounter with Barack Obama and Post-Debate Interview.) The second was the crazy McCain rally lady played by Kristen Wiig, who wandered throughout the set during the Weekend Update segment, asserting — as did the real one, Gayle Quinnell – that Obama was an Arab. (See: Video & Photos: McCain Mob? McCain Defends Obama, McCain Booed in Minnesota 10-10-08 )   Her accusations became increasingly more bizarre; Obama “is 50 percent Egyptian, he’s going to change the White House to a pyramid.”

Photo credit: NBC