I could never particularly tell how he got a job on SNL, because, he's not funny. Presumably, being funny is a job requirement for something like that. Maybe he has other oral skills that gave him the nod?
In order to be funny, there must be an element of truth. We laugh at our human condition...imho Jesus laughed when he told Peter (for the third time) "Feed my lambs", or even "Dust mote v. Log." I have listened to Al Franken as Stuart Smalley (being the child of a completely disfunctional family) and he has had an element of truth to his humor...being the fat kid, being the child of alcoholic parents...but when he has to go beyond truth-- to try to pervert John Ashcroft's faithfulness to God (that higher power of the 12 steps) then he has gone too far and deserves a fall.
If he has a problem with " The Patriot Act" that is no reason for an ad hominem attack on John Ashcroft. After all, the executive office carries out the orders of the legislative branch. And Al Franken's senators are Schumer and Clinton.
Al Franken, in the past, has been seriously funny- the "Guided Visualizations through the Dysfunctional Forest" has made me laugh "til I cried- Rage-aholic Racoon and and Sexaholic Squirrel, along with Grandoise Bear have been staples in my house for years.
But He and Woody Allen are just not funny anymore...