Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano keeps a close eye on the “river” during a friendly game of poker on Veterans Day 2008 at the Arizona State Veterans Home. (Photo by Capitol Media Services)

The future of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano remains quite as a mystery, as President-elect Barack Obama hasn’t announced any Cabinet-level appointments yet. Numerous media reports say Napolitano is a leading contender for attorney general or homeland security. But some Arizona Democrats are openly saying Napolitano could turn down any offers to join the Obama administration, to avoid elevating Secretary of State Jan Brewer to the governor’s office.

Even if Napolitano doesn’t leave Phoenix for Washington, she has firmly established herself as a national-level politician that bodes well for her future. Her successful efforts since 2003 to get noticed by both print and television news operations meant recent profiles by the New York Times and Washington Post carry a tone that Napolitano already is a known quantity. And then there was that parody of Napolitano on Saturday Night Live last weekend. (Sorry, no video link as of this post, as SNL didn’t rush to put a link on its Web site and NBC already has filed copyright challenges at YouTube to other clips from the show). When Hollywood comedy writers pick out someone new to mock, that person has arrived in some fashion.

UPDATE: Azfamily.com has embedded the key part of the SNL video as part of a news story from KTVK-TV (Channel 3). Hat tip to Eye on the Ninth Floor.

A lot has been written and said in recent weeks about the various problems and mistakes of John McCain’s presidential campaign. One of the few things that the campaign has gotten right is knowing that Americans still appreciate a little self-deprecating humor, which McCain himself specializes in.

Arizona’s senior senator showed this side again last night with his appearance on Saturday Night Live. My favorite moment was during the opening skit, when McCain and Sarah Palin/Tina Fey go on QVC (the only network his campaign can afford, unlike Barack Obama) to carry their message to voters and hock a few election-related items. I laughed out loud when McCain offered up some “Fine Gold” jewelry and the camera panned right to Cindy McCain dressed business-smart and pointing to fancy-looking gold chains on manikin necklines. Cindy’s appearance fit the scene perfectly and illustrated why the McCains have been popular with many Arizonans for so many years. Say what you want about McCain, he has a way of coming off as humble and just like you and me, despite his extensive military record, his wife’s wealth or his life spent in Washington’s inner circles.