News Flash: John McCain Once Again Human.

After what seems like weeks of interviews that ranged from overly defensive to outright hostile, campaign ads that, at times, transgressed all bounds of logic and good taste and stump speeches that, one after the other, flamed out in flustered desperation, John McCain came back strong on Saturday night with a solid, funny, genial six-minute skit on Saturday Night Live. He was joined by Tina Fey—for those who have seen more of Tina than Sarah, it’s hard to tell the difference—and his wife, Cindy.

The premise was that, with Obama far out in the lead on campaign fundraising, McCain couldn’t afford to rent out American TV for half-an-hour and had to settle for broadcasting on QVC. Fey was presumably over-the-top for a Sarah fan, but for non-believers, she came across as satirical without being derisive. McCain, however, actually looked relaxed and delivered his jokes well. He hawked a plate collection commemorating the ten town hall debates with Obama; all ten plates were empty. Cindy McCain was perfect as the bottle-blond presenter silently gliding her hands over the McCain Fine Gold[1] collection.

McCain QVC Open by Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Don’t let a six-minute skit distract you from his policies, his plans or the rest of his gutter politics, but give credit where credit is due, this was at least as funny as Obama’s Daily Show appearance.