You’d think satirists at The Onion would be teary-eyed now that the Bush administration has reached its twilight and a pop culture-friendly president-elect has been chosen. Instead, writers say they look forward to some new material.

Feature editor Joe Garden told a reporter that it’s been a “nightmare” trying to keep Bush jokes fresh. Obama, he said, will be a welcome change because his celebrity status has gotten people interested in politics and will provide more things to make fun of.

The same seems to be true for Saturday Night Live, who took advantage of the intensely watched debates to parody minutia like walking in front of the camera while Tom Brokaw was addressing the cameras.

The moral of the story is that the criteria for a good subject for satire is not necessarily unfavorability, but interest in general. So on top of having a more active role in politics, staying abreast on Washington has another perk: more to laugh at.