Maybe this is the super secret October surprise. Sarah Palin goes on Saturday Night Live and gives the Republican ticket a shot in the arm. And Lorne Michaels, single-handedly, gives the McCain campaign a victory in November.

Perhaps McCain strategist Steve Schmidt met with Karl Rove and Michaels in Dick Cheney's secret bunker and they hatched the plan.

No confirmation from the McCain-Palin campaign so far, but the comedy prospects just seem too tempting to pass up. With all the watercooler talk about Tina Fey's spot-on impersonation of the Republican nominee for vice president, it will mean great ratings for the network. And it sure couldn't hurt the McCain campaign.

She's doing it

The New York Post is reporting that Palin's appearance on Oct. 25 is signed, sealed, and delivered.

Soccer moms and Joe Sixpacks, listen up. Get your beer, mooseburgers and caribou dips ready. Sarah Palin is doing "Saturday Night Live." Not Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin doing "Saturday Night Live." But the Sarah Herself.

She has already OK'd it. She's booked. It's confirmed. Done deal. Sketches are being sketched as we speak. She - eyeglasses, haircomb, designer jacket and trunkful of gosh-darns, golly-gees and gol-dangs - will be on "SNL" Saturday night, Oct. 25. Sarah's rehearsal time has already been penciled in for Friday the 24th. And it's because she wants to do it.

Palin's a fan

That last sentence is definitely true. She told reporters earlier this week that she wanted to go on the show and meet her highly regarded impersonator, Tina Fey.

"I love her [Fey], she's a hoot and she's so talented," Palin said. "It would be fun to meet her and keep on giving her new material."

Many would argue that meeting Fey is not requisite in providing new material. All she has to do is stay on the ticket for that. Regardless, the comedic prospects are high.

Last night

There was hope that Palin might show up last night in a special Thursday night edition of SNL. Didn't happen. But viewers instead got to see one of the original "not ready for prime time players," Bill Murray.

The show featured a parody of Tuesday night's presidential debate. Both candidates were fair game. Perhaps the funniest portion of the skit came when McCain (played by Darrell Hammond) drifted aimlessly around the set walking in front of the camera when Obama (played by Fred Armisen) was answering a question.

Bill Ayers

Obama (Armisen) later revealed a relationship with the co-founder of the radical Weather Underground group that many diehard McCain supporters undoubtedly believe is factual.

SNL Obama called Bill Ayers, "my best friend and my mentor. He told the crowd, "I'm telling you this because I'm so far ahead in the polls now, it's not going to matter."

The other race

Speaking of the real Barack Obama, we reported this morning that he bought 30 minutes of network TV time at a pretty hefty price to get his message out.

It'll be interesting to see who wins this ratings race.  Our guess?  Palin in a landslide.