Last laugh against Palin
Audiences have been laughing with John McCain and at Sarah Palin as the Republicans continue to trail in the polls.
Mr McCain, who trails in the polls to Democrat Barack Obama in the run-up to Tuesday’s vote – appeared on Saturday Night Live to poke fun at himself and his rival.
He and actress Tina Fey, reprising her hugely popular impression of Ms Palin, performed in a sketch based on the McCain campaign’s inability to match Mr Obama’s primetime informercial broadcast last week.
“This past Wednesday, Barack Obama purchased airtime on three major networks. We, however, can only afford [shopping channel] QVC.”
“Would I rather be on three major networks? Of course – but I’m a true maverick, a Republican without money.”
Mr McCain then attempted to sell his campaign memorabilia, including ten plates which would have commemorated his town-hall meetings with Mr Obama.
They were blank as Mr Obama refused to participate, he pointed out helpfully.
By contrast his vice presidential nominee Ms Palin fell the victim of a Canadian comedian’s prank call.
Marc-Antoine Audette pretended to be French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a phone call to Ms Palin, who was completely deceived.
Ms Palin says “yes, good” in response to the apparent Mr Sarkozy telling her he is following the campaign closely with his “special American adviser Johnny Holiday”.
And she appears enthusiastic about a potential hunting trip between the two of them.
“I just love killing those animals. Mmm-mmm, take away life, that is so fun,” he said.
“I’ll be a careful shot,” Ms Palin pledges, after Audette says he does not want the error-prone current vice president Dick Cheney to come.
One half of a comedy duo calling themselves the Masked Avengers, Audette has previously duped celebrities including Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Bernie Ecclestone.
“We tried the most we could do to make a great joke out of it,” Audette told the BBC afterwards.
Ms Palin was said to be “mildly amused” by the prank when she discovered she had been duped.
