Back after the 2000 election was resolved, Will Ferrell as George W. Bush introduced himself as President to the American people: “And keep in mind. That’s for a whole year.”
Ah, has it really been that long? Ferrell came out Thursday night for a curtain call, with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, offering Darrell Hammond’s John McCain an badly unwanted endorsement. (Speaking of which: Fey gets all the glory, but Todd Palin in his snow-machine outfit may be the funniest thing SNL has done this campaign without uttering a word.) The skit nicely highlighted the essentials of Ferrell’s Bush character—his determined, “bummer-free zone” lack of self-awareness—while playing the current politics down the middle. On the one hand, the sketch blatantly linked McCain’s voting record with Bush; on the other hand, it showed how little McCain wants to have to do with the President.
As for me, I’ll miss George W. Bush—this one at least.