Would America be ready for an African-American president, which is now a 50-50 proposition with Senator Barack Obama the presumptive Democratic candidate, if actor Dennis Haysbert hadn't done it first on 24?

A lot of people have wondered if Haysbert's brave, commanding President David Palmer influenced the way people are thinking about Obama. Dennis Haysbert has now weighed in, and he believes that his role on 24 made a difference.

"My portrayal of David Palmer may have helped open the eyes of the American people," he told the AP.

"I mean the American people across the board - from the poorest to the richest, every color and creed, every religious base - to prove the possibility there could be an African-American president, a female president, any type of president that puts the people first," he goes on to say.

After all the excitement from Comedy Central and the web, I must say I was expecting a little more from the O'Reilly/Colbert appearance swap. Don't get me wrong, though, because I was definitely entertained. It's just that I didn't think the whole thing lived up to the hype. When it ended and the dust quickly cleared, I confusedly blinked and looked around. No carnage... Only mild scrapes, light bruises and the sound of my annoyingly exaggerated sighs. I wanted to see blood on those crisp French cuffs, damn it. Oh, well. I guess we can't get everything we want.

The Fox News Channel has decided to fight fire with fire and give Jon Stewart a run for his money by airing a right-wing "Daily Show-like" program on Saturday nights beginning in late January. The cable news network has only committed to airing two episodes, but if successful in its initial outing, the series would continue with a weekly broadcast.

Originally titled This Just In, the show is being produced by Joel Surnow and Manny Cota of 24. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Surnow said that the show would take aim at "the scared cows of the left" and "play more to the Fox News audience than the Michael Moore channel."