Gov. Sarah Palin smiles as 'SNL' mocks her anew

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After watching "Saturday Night Live" make fun of her from afar, Sarah Palin witnessed it first hand as Tina Fey engaged in fiction by depicting her at the news conference the Republican vice presidential nominee has yet to hold.

Later, Palin came on stage during the "Weekend Update" mock news segment and bobbed to the beat as cast member Amy Poehler performed a rap song the Alaska governor decided was too hardcore to perform herself.

Poehler rapped as actors dressed as Eskimos, Palin's husband, Todd, and a moose pranced across the stage.

The appearance was anticipated since September, when Fey began portraying Palin just after GOP presidential nominee John McCain selected the then-little-known governor as his running mate. The two look alike, and Palin remarked that people had often told her she resembled the actress.

In the show's opening, Fey's Palin told a news conference: "First off, I just want to say how excited I am to be in front of both the liberal elite media as well as the liberal regular media. I am looking forward to a portion of your questions."

Moments later, the camera cut away to the real Palin watching a television monitor alongside the show's executive producer, Lorne Michaels.

"You know, Lorne, I just don't think it's a realistic depiction of the way my press conferences would have gone," Palin said.

The camera soon cut back to Fey who answered a question about the polls.

"I don't worry about the polls. Polls are just a fancy way of systematically predicting what's going to happen. The only poll I care about is the North Pole, and that ... is ... melting. It's not great."

The real Palin then walked onto the news conference set, and Fey fled.

"Thank you, thank you," the governor said to applause from the studio audience. "No, I'm not going to take any of your questions, but I do wanted to take this opportunity to say, 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night.'"

McCain, who spent Saturday night in Ohio, watched clips of the broadcast on Sunday. He told a crowd in Woodbridge, Va., on Saturday that he thought Fey and Palin were "separated at birth."