Lorne Michaels, call Warren Hutcherson

The New York Observer asked a question yesterday that I’d never thought about. When will “Saturday Night Live” find somebody to play Barack Obama in a sketch?

The Observer observed that Kenan Thompson is too portly for the part. And former cast member Tim Meadows pointed out that “for a white guy to do Barack Obama, it would have to be approached very cautiously.” A spokeman for “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels said: “We’ll know when we know. Truthfully, there’s no timetable on these things.”

Well, nobody asked me, but I’ve got the perfect guy for them. Warren Hutcherson. He’s a standup comic, he’s done some sketch acting, and he’s a writer. Matter of fact, he was on the writing staff of “Saturday Night Live” in the early ’90s.

And he resembles Barack Obama.

I’m willing to bet that some stranger has asked Warren Hutcherson on the street, “Are you Barack Obama?”

Unfortunately, I can’t find a good photograph of Mr. Hutcherson on the Internet – not one – to show you what I mean. But I did find this video clip on an obscure comedy site called The Ointment. (I’ve seen Hutcherson be much funnier, but just check out his look. With the right material, he could nail an Obama sketch.)

[UPDATE (05/05/07): Hat-tip to Adam at ALOTT5MA for providing me linkage to the above screenshot of Warren Hutcherson from “Mr. Show.” It suffices to make my point.]

Not like Hutcherson has a lot of time on his hands. He’s producing a new sitcom for BET called ”Somebodies.”

Still, a good idea is a good idea.