The Devil Always Gets the Best Lines

If you're Tina Fey, this has to be a tough election. On one hand, she's probably at least as left-leaning as any other prominent female celebrity. Then again, Sarah Palin could be a lifetime full-employment guarantee, no small thing to a comedienne approaching the dread 4-0. But I digress.

This painfully hilarious SNL skit reminded me that whenever the writers eschew lefty didacticism and aim for maximum laughs, the Republicans get all the best lines. In the link above, Hillary goes on about how we need diplomacy, discussion, multilateralism, dialogue, experience. Sarah Palin replies, "I can see Russia from my house!"

My favorite, though, is a 2000 take on Hardball featuring Paul Begala (played by Mango) and Bob Barr talking about energy, strangely enough:

Chris Matthews: Whoa, whoa, there it is again! It's the damndest thing, hope the little guy's okay! Now, Congressman Barr, shouldn't we also be looking into alternative energy sources?

Bob Barr: Well, Chris, my fellow Republicans are doing just that. We're not just interested in Alaskan oil - this country's lamps were powered by whale oil for years. Why not go back to drilling whales for oil? And I'm sure there's a way to get oil out of dogs, lions, polar bears - any of those animals that no one really cares about.

Paul Begala: Chris, that is insane! These animals are precious parts of the global ecosystem, and they should be protected and celebrated.