David Letterman & Sarah Palin: war of words

[Fluffy]

^I think you're blowing this out of proportion Mohandas. How can Dave's comments possibly be any worse than the SNL skit where they joked about incest between Todd and his daughters.
YouTube - Saturday Night Live Todd Palin - Incest Smear
Palin didn't complain back then and later appeared on SNL.

[WhoAmI]

Palin said she watched SNL with the sound off. She had her angry liar-face on when she said it, but that's what she claimed.

David Letterman apologized to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Monday night's show, saying he takes "full responsibility" for a "beyond flawed" joke in which he had quipped that Palin's daughter had been "knocked up" by Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Just after his monologue, Letterman sat behind his desk and apologized to Palin's two daughters, Bristol and Willow, Palin and her family and "everybody else who was outraged by the joke."

Letterman continued, "I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception."

Despite the apology, Palin supporters tell the Los Angeles Times that they still plan to hold a protest rally today outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City, where Letterman tapes his show.

Similar to his assertion last week that he would never joke about the rape or sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl (Willow's age), Letterman insisted that he confused Willow with her 18-year-old sister Bristol, who had a child out of wedlock last year.

"I was told at the time she was there with Rudy Guiliani," he said. "I should have made the joke about Rudy."

Palin did several on-air interviews last week, repudiating Letterman's explanation of the jokes.

Newsday reports that Letterman made the decision to apologize on his own, with no pressure from his bosses at CBS.

Below is a transcript of Letterman's comments obtained by TV Week:

"All right, here - I've been thinking about this situation with Governor Palin and her family now for about a week - it was a week ago tonight, and maybe you know about it, maybe you don't know about it. But there was a joke that I told, and I thought I was telling it about the older daughter being at Yankee Stadium. And it was kind of a coarse joke. There's no getting around it, but I never thought it was anybody other than the older daughter, and before the show, I checked to make sure in fact that she is of legal age, 18. Yeah. But the joke really, in and of itself, can't be defended. The next day, people are outraged. They're angry at me because they said, 'How could you make a lousy joke like that about the 14-year-old girl who was at the ball game?' And I had, honestly, no idea that the 14-year-old girl, I had no idea that anybody was at the ball game except the Governor and I was told at the time she was there with Rudy Giuliani...And I really should have made the joke about Rudy..." (audience applauds) "But I didn't, and now people are getting angry and they're saying, 'Well, how can you say something like that about a 14-year-old girl, and does that make you feel good to make those horrible jokes about a kid who's completely innocent, minding her own business,' and, turns out, she was at the ball game. I had no idea she was there. So she's now at the ball game and people think that I made the joke about her. And, but still, I'm wondering, 'Well, what can I do to help people understand that I would never make a joke like this?' I've never made jokes like this as long as we've been on the air, 30 long years, and you can't really be doing jokes like that. And I understand, of course, why people are upset. I would be upset myself.


"And then I was watching the Jim Lehrer 'Newshour' - this commentator, the columnist Mark Shields, was talking about how I had made this indefensible joke about the 14-year-old girl, and I thought, 'Oh, boy, now I'm beginning to understand what the problem is here. It's the perception rather than the intent.' It doesn't make any difference what my intent was, it's the perception. And, as they say about jokes, if you have to explain the joke, it's not a very good joke. And I'm certainly - " (audience applause) "- thank you. Well, my responsibility - I take full blame for that. I told a bad joke. I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception. And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke. It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault. That it was misunderstood." (audience applauds) "Thank you. So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the Governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future. Thank you very much." (audience applause)

Letterman Apologizes To Palin: "I Told A Joke That Was Beyond Flawed"

[celeb_2006]

It's cool he apologized, a real apology with no fake qualifiers (if anyone was offended crap, anyone that uses that should be f**king shot on the spot).

Good for him taking responsibility.

[kingcap72]

I don't know why Letterman's apologizing again? But whatever.

But if it turns out that Willow wasn't even at the game to begin with then Dave's going to go after Palin guns blazing.

[*DIVA!]

Originally Posted by kingcap72

I don't know why Letterman's apologizing again? But whatever.

But if it turns out that Willow wasn't even at the game to begin with then Dave's going to go after Palin guns blazing.

He lost advertisements...

[Fluffy]

Despite the apology, Palin supporters tell the Los Angeles Times that they still plan to hold a protest rally today outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City, where Letterman tapes his show.

They are such a bunch of nutcases...

[kingcap72]

Originally Posted by *DIVA!

He lost advertisements...

That explains it. Which means he's being pressured by CBS to do it.

[*DIVA!]

Originally Posted by kingcap72

That explains it. Which means he's being pressured by CBS to do it.

Those Holier than thouers..probably called Wal*Mart Corp..etc..

[bychance]

Originally Posted by *DIVA!

He lost advertisements...

He lost just 1. Their loss, and they'll get over it.

Originally Posted by MohandasKGanja

#4 (the Limbaugh story) never happened. But #3 (McCain story) did.

It is very well documented that he called Chelsea the white house dog. What are you talking about?

[Fluffy]

What Hillary Can Teach Sarah Palin
by Tina Brown
June 14, 2009 | 11:21pm

A scene at the State Department Friday afternoon is one that the Alaska governor should watch on videotape.

As Sarah Palin’s furious claims of being victimized by David Letterman once again became catnip for cable hosts, a more elevated female narrative was being played out in Washington’s Foggy Bottom. On Friday afternoon, Melanne Verveer, Hillary Clinton’s former East Wing chief of staff and founder of the Vital Voices democracy initiative, was sworn in as ambassador at large for global women's issues by her friend of 25 years, the secretary of State.

Standing in the grand Benjamin Franklin Rooms amidst a sea of some 400 animated guests—most of them unostentatious women of stature and purpose, and many of them mentored at some time or other by Verveer or Hillary—I felt someone should pluck the combustible Alaskan away from whatever rancid talk show she was headed for and make her watch a vignette of what real female power looks like.

The scene was a great snapshot of two battle-tested empty nesters, both handsome blown-out blondes in their early 60s, both wearing consummately safe alpha-female pantsuits (Hillary in self-possessed powder blue, her new ambassador in respectful grey), both dedicated policy wonks who worked on behalf of oppressed women in unpronounceable places long before it was fashionable, both mothers (a grandmother in Verveer’s case) with hunky husbands (anchorman-handsome Philip Verveer is a powerful communications lawyer in Washington and soon to be the State Department’s U.S. coordinator for international communications with the rank of ambassador himself). When Melanne raised her hand to take the oath of office, the two women exchanged glances of veiled jubilance.

“There’s so much work to do!” Hillary exclaimed to me in the receiving line, her eyes sparkling at the thought of the impending avalanche of briefing papers heading her way from her new global women’s issues czarina.

Here’s one thing Sarah could learn from Hillary: Cheerfulness is more impressive than resentment. Is the secretary of State lugging around a Palin-size grudge about having to play a subservient role to the man who humbled her at the polls? Doesn’t Clinton have a better reason to resent Obama than Palin has to bang on about Letterman? I mean, if it weren’t for Barack, Hillary would now be president of the United States. How’s that for “hurtful?” Yet the president and his highest-ranking Cabinet officer seem to be getting along like Nick and Nora Charles. Or that‘s how Hillary’s playing it anyhow.

Here’s something Palin could learn from Letterman: Leave the jokes to the comedians. Does anyone believe that Palin really, truly thought Letterman’s sexual joke was about her 14-year-old daughter, Willow, not her 18-year-old, Bristol—who, after all, actually did get knocked up? My reading is she didn't believe it, but she was happy to have you believe it. Happy to have people—too many of them, unfortunately, who only pay attention with one ear—be her target audience.

The governor of Alaska doesn’t object to every wisecrack that relies for its punchline on a mental picture of a Palin daughter having sexual intercourse with an older man, even when the daughter is the one who’s still a minor. Here’s the statement Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton issued after Dave invited the governor and her husband to come on the air with him: “The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show. Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman.” Just to ensure that her youngest daughter wouldn't enjoy a weekend without embarrassment, Sarah Palin launched into a fresh tirade to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about Letterman's "crude, sexist, perverted joke about a 14-year-old being 'knocked up' by Alex Rodriguez."

Letterman’s joke may not have been his finest hour, but at least he swiftly apologized. Meanwhile, the nation’s hockey mom scores another goal for intellectual dishonesty.

Finally, here’s a second thing Sarah could learn from Hillary: It’s the substance that sustains, not the exposure. In terms of raw talent on the hustings, Sarah Palin is far more of a political natural than Hillary Clinton.She might get somewhere in the long run if she would just go away in the short run and read some books. Her problem is that she thinks the popular culture is the culture. She has no context, no knowledge of the world to offset her obsessive Nixonian flailings about how everyone is belittling her stature as the hardworking governor of Alaska. Her answers on CNN about Pentagon cuts in missile defense that affect her state were as halting and glassy-eyed as a novice U.N. translator's attempt to grapple with Uzbek in his earphones.

Yet if Palin added some depth to her knowledge, she has so much she could offer. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a mother of five who translated what she wanted for her kids into fighting for affordable health care and clean air. Palin has a disabled child, one of a sadly ignored subset of Americans whose chances to live a better life desperately need her celebrity spotlight. Teenage mothers could use a leg up from Palin, too, but she’s too busy ginning up celebrity feuds.

Take a leaf out of Hillary’s book, Sarah. (Or from Condi Rice, for that matter. Clinton's predecessor in the job likewise knows how to disappear herself for a bit while she recoups and rebrands.) Bide your time, don’t waste it. Study up—and shut up. If you were a real power woman, we wouldn’t be hearing from you right now, so soon after your vice presidential flameout. You’d be too busy preparing yourself for the day when you have something to say worth hearing.

Tina Brown is the founder and editor in chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.

What Hillary Can Teach Sarah Palin - The Daily Beast

[viggofan]

I saw alittle of his monologue tonight and he was still talking about Palin. He said his mother agreed with the governor. ( yes I realize it was a joke), just commenting that he is still talking about it even after his apology. sigh....

Imo they both need to put it to rest.

[kingcap72]

In terms of raw talent on the hustings, Sarah Palin is far more of a political natural than Hillary Clinton.She might get somewhere in the long run if she would just go away in the short run and read some books.

Dubya allegedly read a lot of books and he was still a dumbass. Palin's just a lost cause. But if she had even half of Hillary or Condi's intelligence she'd be a political force to be reckoned with.

[bychance]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

What Hillary Can Teach Sarah Palin - The Daily Beast

amen.

[travelbug]

What's stupid to me is that the insult was mostly aimed at Spitzer, not Palin's daughter, right? As in, you're in New York, hide your daughters, Spitzer is on the loose.

Palin is just an attention whore who doesn't have the sense to shut up about something.

[MohandasKGanja]

Originally Posted by bychance

He lost just 1. Their loss, and they'll get over it.

It is very well documented that he called Chelsea the white house dog. What are you talking about?

I think this story is a reference to a November 6, 1992 broadcast from Limbaugh. I got this explanation from another page, needless to say.

"In today’s New York Daily News right here… it’s the obligatory in-out list. Every time there’s a massive change somewhere, people are in, people are out. I’m now out. It says about me on here, Rush Limbaugh, loud-mouthed conservative and Bush favorite. He’s out."

Rush commented that most of the other things on the days’ list were not funny, but that “one of them in particular” was. Rush quoted from the David Hinckley article

“In: A cute kid in the White House. Out: Cute dog in the White House.”

Could– could we see the cute kid? Let’s take a look at– see who is the cute kid in the White House.

A picture of the “cute dog” (Millie) appeared on the screen instead of the “cute kid” (Chelsea).

Rush immediately said

"No, no, no. That’s not the kid."

Then a picture of Chelsea Clinton came on the screen and Rush said

"That’s– that’s the kid. "

Rush apologized several times and told a story about how he had learned early in his career the importance of not making fun of someone’s appearance. He then apologized again and said

"I’m– I hope you will forgive me. I’m fatigued. I’m tired…"

Before breaking to a commercial, Rush asked the audience what he could do to make amends for the incident and, in an odd, spontaneous joke, proceeded to spank himself.

Rush has always maintained the incident was an accident. On his show four days later, Rush offered an explanation to his audience. First, the show played, “Who’s sorry now” in the background and Limbaugh pointed to himself. Then he said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry. Let me tell you very quickly what happened last Friday night. There was a new in list and new out list that was published in the newspaper. The writer said in, cute kid in the White House; out, cute dog in the White House. Could we show the cute dog in the White House who’s out, and they put up a picture of Chelsea Clinton back in the crew. And many of you people think that we did it on purpose to make a cheap comment on her appearance. And I’m terribly sorry. I don’t–look, that takes no talent whatsoever and I have a lot of talent. I don’t need to get laughs by commenting on people’s looks, especially a young child who’s done nothing wrong. I mean, she can’t control the way she looks. And we really–we do not–we do not do that on this kind of show."