David Letterman responds to flap over Sarah Palin jokes

EW ^

[thewarden]

Taping tonight's episode of The Late Show, David Letterman took a few minutes to respond to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who called him "pathetic" in a radio interview after he made her and her family the butt of a recent Top 10 list. The late-night host had drawn particular fire from Palin and some pundits for a joke about one of Palin's daughters being impregnated by New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during a trip to Yankee Stadium. Camp Palin apparently took the joke to be a crack against Palin's 14-year-old daughter Willow, who had recently attended a Yankees game, but Letterman insisted today that the real target was 18-year-old daughter Bristol.

“We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter [Bristol]... and now they’re upset with me…” Letterman says on tonight's show. "These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl.... Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was okay for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No." Saying he hopes he's "cleared part of this up," Letterman extended an invitation to Palin to come on the show as a guest.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Thank you.

There are some things that demand retribution. Calling for the rape of a 14 year old and calling someone a child rapist is pretty much at the top of the list.

Considering the attack on the "person of interest" in a child rape case recently this could even be considered inciting to riot. It certainly is slander. These are both criminal matters. I believe "tort of defamation" and "actual malice" are both in play here as well.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

MEND FENCES???? When Palin did nothing to get attacked? She has no fencces to mend here. She now should subjugate herself and boost this prick's ratings?

You can't be serious!

[Wissa]

See posts #53 and #96.

Do those posts address the point of him denying wrongdoing instead of actually apologizing? Why are you so set on seeing an apology that isn't there?

Not that I'd consider it to be sincere even if he would have apologized. An apology issued under duress is meaningless.

[roses of sharon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-AlfsInWoU

Letterman calls Palin daughter a prostitute for Spitzer.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

I’ve been all over those lines and called N.O.W. and filed a complaint with FCC.

[ConservativeMind]

They have explicitly mentioned Bristol by name before. Her name did not appear in this bit.

That provides enough wiggle room to say it wasn’t about Willow in my book. Classless? Definitely. He admitted that, at least.

[Laur]

Give me a break. lol. Even if the joke WAS about Bristol, does that make is less vicious?

[ConservativeMind]

Posts #122 and #146.

[flyover]

David Shuster received a suspension for referring to Chelsea Clinton as being pimped out while campaigning for her mother. Imus was fired for saying “Nappy headed” in regards to the college basketball team.

[flyover]

David Shuster received a suspension for referring to Chelsea Clinton as being pimped out while campaigning for her mother. Imus was fired for saying “Nappy headed” in regards to the college basketball team.

[IceAge]

He lies about his intention and you think that's an apology? Bristol was NOT at the game, it was the 14yr. old Willow, who was with her mother at the game. So, of course he was talking about the 14yr old child being “knocked up” by ARod.

I don't fall for these leftist lies. They run off at the mouth and then lie their way out of it without any repercussions.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

Good ideas. Or I’m happy to take him pistol shooting.

[Iron Munro]

Letterman isn't man enough to carry Sarah's game bag.

She already has the heads of a few other wussies and metrosexuals stuffed and mounted on the den wall.

[NoGrayZone]

"That provides enough wiggle room"

Wiggle away. I see perverted evil for what it is, no matter how ugly. Perhaps you haven't come to that point...yet.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

If some sorry low rent bastard said these things about my little girl he would experience the worst day of his life and I would leave him with a constant reminder for the rest of his days.

[rod1]

She’s 14 year old and Letterman knows he is this close to being yanked by the FCC.

[crazyhorse691]

Wish I watched his show so I could inform him that I would no longer watch his show...I guess I could pull a liberal and lie about it, but, it is so much simpler to tell the truth that I don’t watch his show because he is a slimy little used condom salesman that I would be happy to pitch out an elevator window.

[LimaLimaMikeFoxtrot]

hoping that there's at least one person at that network with a modicum of decency that either asked, told or coerced Letterman to say what he said, even if it was powerfully short on apology and strong on excuse.

It's a nice hopeful sentiment but those pigs are all about advertiser dollars. No, Letterman's "apology" or whatever the hell it was, is a result of CBS feeling heat.

And I for one will continue to turn the heat up on this P.O.S.

[SkyDancer]

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree considering what I read what he said ... it's ok to humiliate someone over 18 in a sexual way according to DL? And now he's lying saying he meant Bristol, the 18yo in his crass joke? Bristol was 4,000 miles away and DL knew that Willow was at the game ....

[Tamar1973]

Actually A-Rod has a thing for white girls, his last 2 gf are white (Madonna and Kate Hudson).