And now, for what will presumably be its last trick before tumbling into a three-and-a-half-year election hangover, Saturday Night Live is rumored to have booked Barack Obama for an appearance on its Nov. 1 episode. The cameo replaces the candidate's original guest spot on last month's season premiere, which Obama was said to have backed out of in anticipation of Hurricane Ike. But one blogger's recently posed conspiracy theory is way more fun, suggesting that Lorne Michaels and Obama campaign overlord David Axelrod instead colluded at the time for a November surprise. But like Alec Baldwin, whom Michaels is said to have coaxed to the set last week with Harvey Levin's home phone number and a week's supply of gay venison, Obama, too, is pay-to-play through Election Day:

In the wake of Sarah Palin’s star-confirming appearance on SNL, it may come as a surprise to learn that Lorne Michaels recently contributed $4,600 to Barack Obama’s campaign, and NBC CEO Jeffrey Immelt contributed $10,000 to Joe Biden’s Delaware Democratic State Committee. [...] I heard from one of Sarah [Palin]'s aides this morning that at the obligatory SNL after party, a slightly affected Seth Meyers blurted out something to the effect of “…yeah, but just wait til you see what we have cooked up for Obama’s appearance right before the election.”

Mid-four figures might seem like a bargain for a presidential candidate this time of year, but when you raise $150 million in a month, you can probably afford to give a little bit away to repeat customers. Just two conditions: No rapping, and Darrell Hammond is not allowed to touch Obama at any point in the ass-grabbing sketch.