It seems like this election year, unlike any other, has seen more appearances by candidates on entertainment shows like David Letterman, Jay Leno, and SNL. Last night's appearance by Palin on Saturday Night Live is the latest in a long series of appearances made by current and former presidential candidates.

I understand that the candidates choose to make these appearances in order to relate more to the public. It shows them in a more relaxed light, and allows the public to become attached to the candidates. However, last night's skits did little to endear me to Palin. As a matter of fact, I almost felt sorry for the Republican VP nominee.

Over the past several months, SNL has enjoyed increased ratings from political parodies. The Clinton / Obama impersonations were particularly funny, timely, and ultimately fair to both candidates. However, it felt like the producers were on a mission last night. A mission to not only sway voter opinion, but also utterly humiliate Palin. The first skit seemed harmless enough, having Palin appearing alongside SNL producer Lorne Michaels and trading jabs with Alec Baldwin.

However, it was during the "weekend update" segment that I believe the producers went too far. Amy Poehler performed a rap song that even Palin thought was too over the top. During the skit, Palin's character was mocked beyond what we normally see on these types of shows. It had her gunning down a moose gangland style and featured Eskimos dancing, among others. I've never been told that I have a good sense of humor, and this may be just another case that proves this belief. However, it seemed the overall tone of the final skit was much darker than the ones afforded to Clinton and Obama. It seemed like an all-out attack on the candidate.

Don't get me wrong, Palin had it coming in a lot of ways. She stumbled hard during the Katie Couric interview and has given comedians plenty of gaffes to exploit. I just think this time the comedians were not fair. Either way, I guess SNL owes Palin a debt of gratitude. They had their highest ratings in years while simultaneously confirming the "liberal media" hype that they brought up earlier in the show.