Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday on NBC

Chris Parnell is back, this time, as debate moderator Bob Schieffer. Fred Armisen plays Barack Obama and Darrell Hammond plays John McCain in what I'm sure was called, "The Joe the Plumber sketch" in rehearsals.

Let's just discuss the best moments of the debate sketch:

- McCain: "Joe the plumber is a straight shooter and one of the finest people I've ever known. Let me tell you something else, he's got a lot of good ideas about how to fix this economy, and as president I'll be relying on his advice and expertise.

This is the first of four specials that Saturday Night Live will be airing on Thursday nights. Rumor has it that at some point, Sarah Palin, will make an appearance as Tina Fey, which, with the two appearing on the same show, may result in the apocalypse. But, in the meantime, we got a special appearance from SNL alum Chris Parnell and a fantastic surprise midway through the first sketch to ask a question: Bill Murray!

Opening Sketch: CNN – The Presidential Debate

Fred Armisen plays Obama, Darrell Hammond plays McCain and Chris Parnell plays Tom Brokaw … and they all nail each one's mannerisms and voice cadences. Well done! "Tom" says the candidates only get 25 seconds to answer one of the "eight least interesting questions" he's picked and they'll only get three second response. Ha! This is clearly playing off the fact that Brokaw was more of a time referee than a moderator at the debate. The candidates can be real windbags, no? And, I say that with patriotic affection. It also tickles my fancy is that Casey Wilson and Bill Hader ask the questions exactly like the deer-caught-in-headlights "folks" who were featured at the debate. Obama answers questions in his staccato signature style, and McCain tries to come off as a bad ass before calling the audience members by the wrong name and walking into Obama's camera frame ...