Barack Obama has been running for president for a while. Not sure if Saturday Night Live knows this. -- Chad

Thanks to the writers strike, "Saturday Night Live" had several months to decide who should play Barack Obama in skits. After all, the last new SNL before the writers strike featured a skit with the Democratic presidential candidates [1]. And who did SNL get to play Obama? Barack Obama.

The show said they searched for an Obama lookalike who could pull it off. Fred Armisen got the nod on Saturday [2], but it certainly doesn't have to be permanent.

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune [3] asks whether an African-American should play Obama. Armisen's genetic background isn't black. Saturday Night Live's track record among African-American and female performers has been pretty weak over the years, based on responses from former cast members. Long-time cast member Darrell Hammond, who is white, plays Jesse Jackson.

The "reputation" of Saturday Night Live's political edginess stems mostly from the 1970s, and hasn't really been seen since. True, Bill Clinton was a popular target, but Dana Carvey's milquetoast take on George H.W. Bush and the blandness of Will Ferrell and Chris Parnell (George W. Bush) destroys any "edge" the show ever had.

Amy Poehler has done a great job as Hillary Clinton, and if Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, SNL will be set. Like SNL and the White House to this point, it's been easy just to turn to white men and expect someone to step up.

One possibility, albeit unconventional, would have been Maya Rudolph, but according to this link [4], she is currently off the show.

SNL has auditioned some African-American men [5] for the role. But here's a fact that Lorne Michaels might not be aware of: Barack Obama has been running for president of the United States since February 10, 2007 [6]. And even before that date, Obama was considering a run. The SNL staff has had a long time to find someone, and they have completely dropped the ball.

Perhaps if SNL was more savvy about politics (its lack of attention to the many Bush scandals shows where its politics lie) or, quite frankly, African-Americans, the show would have found someone by now. If I were an African-American male who looked and sounded like Barack Obama, I'd be skeptical about doing Saturday Night Live. But SNL stands to lose what little relevance it has by ignoring the Obama issue. But hey, don't worry: at least Mike Huckabee showed up [7]. The white guys always show up.

Technorati Tags: Be-Elected [13] 2008 race [14] Barack Obama [15] Saturday Night Live [16] Fred Armisen [17] African-Americans [18] comedy [19] NBC [20]