Remember back at the beginning of the season when Senator Barack Obama was going to be on the premiere of Saturday Night Live but had to bow out because of Hurricane Ike? At the time, we were told that the Democratic presidential candidate would be on later in the year. Well, rumors are flying that Obama will appear on SNL a week from this Saturday, November 1 -- just three days before the election.

NBC has denied the rumors, much like they did all those rumors before Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin appeared last weekend. However, SNL boss Lorne Michaels always holds his cards close to his vest when it comes to big name appearances. Even after gossips reported that Sarah was definitely going to be on the show, NBC and SNL didn't confirm it till the last minute.

So, what will it mean if Barack Obama does show up on SNL before the election? It could be the cherry on top of a media blitz sundae that will include his primetime October 29, half-hour TV special on NBC, CBS and Fox. Maximum exposure on TV, including saturation commercial buys from now till November 4, is a decided advantage for the Democrat, but it's no guarantee that he'll emerge as the president.

Still, is it fair for SNL to let Obama have the pre-election Saturday slot? Would it look like they're playing favorites? Obama was last on the show in 2007, so it's not like he's gotten a ton of exposure from them. SNL has had John McCain and the aforementioned Governor Palin on recently, so the Republicans have been given their time. Democratic Veep candidate Joe Biden, on the other hand, has never been on the program.

Finally, November 1 is the only date open for Obama if he chooses to do Saturday Night -- and, coincidentally, that's the night Ben Affleck (an Obama supporter) is hosting. This week's show, October 25, is out because Barack will be in Hawaii visiting his gravely ill grandmother.

If I were advising Obama, I'd tell him to do the pre-election show. It can only help him, especially if it's a sketch like Hillary Clinton did with Amy Poehler during the primaries, which showed that Hillary could laugh at herself. And If I were Lorne Michaels, I'd try to be fair to the Republicans, too. I'd ask John McCain to tape a segment and show that on the same episode that Obama's on.