Its time for him to go, if he doesn,t know better at is time in his life. The advertisers will pay for this if no action is taken.

That is what brought Don Imus down -- advertisers pulling out. And it was CBS Radio that fired him. The decision on Imus was ultimately made by Letterman's boss, Leslie Moonves. So, that is a possibility....Z

I think David ... is a dumb ... and not in the least bit funny.I hope this is the end of his show. There may actually be something funny on @ night.

You are a parent Grow up and act like one. how would you feel if people on tv started saying bad things about your son?

best thing for his ratings I can think of right about now, actually.

Like others before him, Dave's nastiness went unchecked before someone finally hung him with his own rope.Palin is no pushover like McCain who went begging cup in hand to Letterman.

Absurd. Anyone who heard the joke knew he meant Bristol - nobody even knows who the younger daughter is. The joke is only funny if it's Bristol - who was pregnant & a national storyline, not if it's whatshername & is about underage sex.

Lucky Alaska to have someone representing them that has time to make hay over comedy.

Remember, this is the woman who twisted the lipstick line into a derogatory comment that she then complained about. Sounds like he really was talking about the older child, which makes it a crude joke, not something to be fired over, and certainly not something about statutory rape or child abuse. But apparently the Governor wants the joke to be otherwise so she can ride it through the morning news shows.

build a bridge, get over it. I think politically correct people should ...

I agree. I think Lettrman should pay for crisis therapy for every minor female in the country. It is time to eliminate the President's cabinet and replace them with the women on "The View" Add Oprah, Martha, and Rachel Ray and the world will be a much better place. I find this hard to believe that a joke causes massive trauma for one sex. If it did, men would be jumping off buildings based on Joy Behar's comments towards men. Oh,I forgot Kate should be Secretary of Education of Men who do everything wrong. Wait, Secretary is a sexist demeaning word to all of Womenkind. We need to change the name of the title.

I seem to remember this sitcom that made fun of every race and women with "man hands" too. Did Seinfeld ever have to apologize?
Relax and think about it. Teens hear far more offensive jokes about them on the school bus.

Does he have any idea what this does to a young girl's self esteem? Do you? I was a school principal of middle school for many years. This sort of thing is devastating. Peers pick up on it; girls who are jealous make their life miserable, tormenting them in underhanded ways. Boys joke about it. This is NOT funny. It is horrendous to this child. And you even seem to think it is amusing, too. How very, very sad for our society that it has come to such. Dr. Lois Settles

Puh-leeeeze! I watched Letterman that night (because Howard Stern was the guest), and I knew right away that he was referring to 18-year-old Bristol (since, you know, she obviously has had sex already). Those who believe otherwise are being intellectually dishonest and/or blindly loyal to Sarah Palin.

David, I know that you don't like MSNBC, but I had to turn it off after Morning Joe because the Palin/Letterman feud was the top story during the 9AM newshour. Think about it, David, why are "Today" and "MSNBC" even talking about this so-called controversy? Could it be that the network brass is trying to help Conan in the ratings?

Letterman won't run into nearly as much trouble as Imus did. He's the face of the entire network and has a cultural cache that Don Imus could never dream of.

Was the joke ambiguous in which daughter it referenced? Yes. Was it in poor taste? Sure, but most political jokes are. Is Palin jumping on a soapbox and trying to turn this into a bigger issue in order to keep her name in the news? Absolutely.

In the end, if she keeps pounding this issue, and trying to twist it into a political agenda, Palin is going to look the worst. Letterman apologized (as much as he's going to at least) and has moved on. Time for her to also. I doubt she wants to get into a media debate with Dave. He'd wipe the floor with her.

He's the face of entire network? Which one, because I don't think it is CBS. Have you seen his ratings the last year? He often finished behind ABC's Nightline and Jay Leno. Thanks. Z

Ridiculous Dave. So was you "so called" apology.

Z, All of the outrage is, well, outrageous. Sarah Palin really needs to get over it. If I recall, Bristol Palin was already "knocked up" once. Whose fault was that? Perhaps America's Hockey Mom should apologize to the young women of America for the example set by her daughter.

Sarah Palin has placed herself in the public eye. Part of that involves exposing her family to scrutiny and, yes, as the subject of crass jokes. I recall several jokes at Chelsea Clinton's expense, which involved something beyond her control -- her looks. Those were truly mean spirited. And yet I do not ever recall the outrage over such remarks. Letterman's joke was directed at something that could be controlled. Obviously, she was sexually active. The Bush girls were also fodder for comedians. In their cases it was due to their partying.

As for Letterman, comedy is a matter of taste. There are a lot of comedians I do not care for -- I choose not to watch or listen to them.

She is good at playing the outrage card -- and she was near the top of her game on Today this morning. Thanks. Z

Here we go again with continuing examples of the Right's expression of phoney outrage and manufactured and manipulative controversy that was regularly on display during the most recent Presindential Election.

This is Palin's one and only skill. To take an "outraged stance" and play to her minions.

Good Luck with your playbook, Palin. You are as transparent as ever.

i stopped watching letterman months ago-he could use another speech writer. Jay leno's show was much funnier.

This may be a different debate, but yeah Letterman is most definitely the face of CBS. He's been their late night host for over 15 years. He's their highest paid entertainer. I think you could argue the face of CBS used to be Dan Rather, but he's long gone. Who would you say is the face of CBS Z? Charlie Sheen? Jeff Probst? David Caruso? The ratings have no bearing on who the most recognizable face on a given network might be. Longevity does however. The Simpsons get beat every Sunday night now too, but I'd call them the face of the FOX network too. (well neck and neck with Seacrest/Cowell I guess).

The ratings have no bearing? I would have to disagree. Longevity in TV only means you are closer to being fired. The days when it mattered are long gone. Letterman's ratings make him more vulnerable than I think he knows. But he might find out if this controversy keeps building. But you are right, it probably is another discussion. Thanks. Z

Dave hit it right on and shouldn't apologize to anyone. Sarah "the easily insulted" Palin needs to be taken to task at every opportunity for failing to instill in her daughter the values her political party wears on its sleeve.

We are supposed to keep our satire and right right of free speech off this soccer mom (other words come to mind that begin with S), while she advocates to deprive the rights of Americans and other groups around the world.

She is a joke and Dave was just doing his job.

I think David Letterman should be fired. A clear message needs to be sent, that no matter what your political affiliation is, this type of garbage humor and rhetoric has run its course. The Decent people still left in this country have had enough. I say fire the smug offensive little b*st*rd.

He's the face of entire network? Which one, because I don't think it is CBS. Have you seen his ratings the last year? He often finished behind ABC's Nightline and Jay Leno. Thanks. Z

Actually, David Letterman probably is the face of CBS- by default. It's certainly not Katie Couric or Drew Carey.

Z, I know that you and many others that read this blog dislike Sarah Palin as a politician. We can all respectfully disagree. I personally think, as a matter of politics, the current President is a disgrace, and he is hurting our country.

However, children are where we have to draw a line in the proverbial sand. I, as a parent, would take offense to any jokes about the current President's children being made on national TV, so how is this different?

More to the point, all of the jokes were about Palin's trip to New York, and the only child in New York and at the game was her 14 year old child, Willow. To accept Letterman's explanation would require us to suspend belief in reality. Alex Rodriguez can "knock up" the daughter in Alaska during the 7th inning? Really, he was not referring to the child at the game? The one who coincidentally (as a sister) looks a lot like the 18 year old, Bristol?

What is more, even if we assume that he meant the 18 year old daughter, is it not still at minimum in poor taste? We all have mothers - imagine how your mother would react in the same situation?

What I find most disgusting about the whole thing is that many of the moronic talking heads are saying this is faux outrage, as if Palin is in the wrong. On national TV, a late night show host made a crude joke about the Governor of Alaska's teenage child being "knocked up" by a baseball player - as a mother these talking heads do not think Palin would legitimately be offended? Just my two cents...

Hi Mike, As I said in this post and Thursday's, the jokes were crude and nasty. Letterman should have aplogized in a straightforward way, as opposed to the shtick he did Wednesday night. What I think of Palin does not change my opinion on that. She has the moral high ground on this one, and I don't think she intends to take any prisoners. Thanks for your thoughtful and balanced words. Z

My wife and I have listened to the excerpts of Letterman's crude and vulgar attempt to be witting and funny at the Palin family expense. It's disgusting what CBS will tollerate in order to achieve ratings and we are for 2 fed up with CBS's lack of class. We are forwarding web address of all the show's sponsors to all our friends and asking them to forward to their friends and notify these sponsors to start boycotting every product and service advertised on Letterman's show....Enough is Enough

This is serious stuff -- mounting an advertiser boycott. But this is also the way one most effectively registers a complaint about TV in this consumer culture. And business is already bad enough for networks like CBS....Z

Sarah Palin is the biggest hypocrite I have ever seen. No one dare talk about her daughter, but her daughter can be on the COVER OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE WITH HER CHILD!

Yeah, that sends a good message. No one can talk about her family, but she can parade her infant around like prop at every political event there is a camera.

If you don't want us to talk about your family, then keep your family out of the media.

Not a big fan of Palin but she nailed the msm on their incredible double-standard regarding hate-speech against women when they are conservatives. Imus is fired and Letterman is allowed to call Palin slutty and imply her 14 year old was raped (if you don't understand why this was rape go smoke another bowlful). Then the next night he implies Elliot Spitzer wants the daughter for sex services.....like wow.
The funniest thing of all (and most indicative of how clueless he is) is Letterman repeating a Tina Fey joke that he attributes to Palin! Keep stealing those NBC jokes guys!

and to the leftists who employ this double standard happily because they hate Palin and/or disagree with her.....keep those Barbie and Eva Braun references coming, they make you look so fresh LOL.

Forever ago, when Letterman and Leno were both still new in their late night spots, I can remember telling my lunch crowd that I didn't like Letterman because he was nasty and really mean-spirited. The response was that Letterman was a "Guy's" performer - like the Three Stooges, men are attracted to him and we women were not ever going to "get it". I actually heard that said of Letterman quite a bit for a couple of years, as if it was his selling point.

Maybe yes, maybe no, but Letterman was always second in the time spot. It's very sad that Conan is as pathetic - he makes me cringe - as he is, but maybe we should all start reading ourselves to sleep until the networks "get it" and clean house in the time spot.

Televisions do come equipped with an off button.

Hi Eve, You are right about the gender-based analysis of Letterman in the early days. In fact, that was one of the things that made him so attractive to networks: They thought he could attract young men. Today, not so many, and not so young. Thanks. Z

Palin's an idiot!
This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. What's sad is that she has brought about this stunt on the back of her 14-yo daugher (Sad)
I heard the joke, it wasn't directed at her 14 Y.O daughter and it's no different than many other jokes that Letterman has told at the expense of Sarah Palin. The joke was directed at A-Rod and Palin's now now 21-yo daugher (Who by the way was knocked up at 17)

The media sure gives stage show plenty of life though... Nice job to the Today Show as they are nothing more than Ratings W_ore's.

How about Mr. Palin chiming in that Middle America doesn't appreciate the jokes of David Letterman??

What do the Palin's know about Middle America (What's left of it)

Do us a favor Sarah, You and your Village People husband stay in Alaska, shoot at animals from a plane, call yourself a soccer mom, and try to keep your kids off the Crack.
But please SHUT UP!

Sarah Palin is loving this feud, but I suspect most people who care will see through her faux outrage and embrace of victimhood as another political opportunity. Letterman has been through worse.

Hey, Up Late. You must be part of the misguided group who tries to convince the rest of us that up is down and right is wrong. Dave was just doing his job? Since when is it his job to accuse 14 year old girls of getting "knocked up" on national television? Exactly which Americans and other groups around the world does Sarah Palin advocate to deprive of rights? What rights are you referring to? If you mean the right to publicly accuse a minor of being raped by an adult, then I'm on Sarah's side.

As for your comment about Palin needing to be taken to task for failing to instill values in her daughter, I can only surmise that you are childless. Because if you had children, you would surely see the absurdity in your arguments. There are gray areas, but on this one Letterman is absolutely wrong.

Dave is NOT funny. He is ugly, mean and hateful. Surely the network can find someone with enough talent to be a lot more amusing that this poor excuse for entertainment. Dave has talent but he has become tiresome with his same old stuff. Maybe he is just a worn out old man with nothing new.

Even if the joke was about Bristol, I certainly would expect the Palins to be angry. Indeed the joke (and that's debatable) would still be construed as promoting at best nonconsensual sex with an 18 year old girl with a 33 year old ball player. Would Letterman react differently if a joke involved the ... raping of his son and then everyone tried to say "No the joke was directed at Letterman's wife instead"? I feel a need to apologize just using that in a discussion to make a point.

Lets take down this old jerk that thinks he can get away with making sex crime jokes about adolescent females. I'm livid to think that anyone would try to get away with sex crime jokes on a national stage. Who cares what his intention was. He said what he said, and now he needs to be accountable.

Here is the contact information for CBS:

Mr. Leslie Moonves, President & CEO
CBS Entertainment
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-4321
lmoonves@cbs.com

For all the people defending this joke, I have a question for you. It's real simple.

What if it was your child at the butt of a sex crime joke, nonetheless, on national TV?

Would you laugh at your child while a bully on national television pops off dirty jokes about them?

Any adult that ever tries to mentally or physically bully a child will get dealt with in my neighborhood. If someone did that to my neighbor's child, they'd be eating a concrete curb. That's how we do on my street. We don't allow adults to prey on children period; it's too bad I can't say the same for you deniers.

Just curious, do you guys deny the holocaust too? This isn't about politics; it's about right and wrong.

I don't think Dave will be fired, but this will expedite his retirement like an uprising a few years back got Dan Rather out.

Uh-oh! Given the number of Palin sycophants who have invaded the Sun's website today, I can only assume that Z's good buddy L. Brent Bozell III posted Z's commentary on the Newsbusters.org website.

Hi, All readers are welcome at my blog. And as always, I try to play it down the middle using the standards of responsible journalism, which have neither a left nor right wing bias. Thanks. Z

Letterman's joke was beyond crude. Like Palin or hate Palin, I don't think that running for office ought to subject a person's children to this kind of ridicule. It's just not even a little okay. Letterman's lost his edge quite a bit and, like Michael Richards a few years ago, desperation can make a comic say some pretty dumb things. Case in point.

What's telling is the joke wasn't really very funny, like a lot of his jokes lately. A lack of creativity in his writing staff has led to a reliance on plain vanilla crassness. Witness wit degrade to bathroom humor. That's what's really sad.

If someone made this kind of joke about any of my children, I'd be furious. I suspect any honest, self-respecting parent would feel the same way. Palin's no hero, but Dave's in the wrong here. No question.

I just left my message encouraging the removal of David Letterman. It took less time than writing on this blog. If you really want to get your point across call this number or email:

Mr. Leslie Moonves, President & CEO
(212) 975-4321
lmoonves@cbs.com

Letterboy is, to say the least, a jerk. The Palins have every right to fire back at this blowhard. I would think that hard working flight attendants would be offended by his "slutty flight attendant look" remark as well. I have a daughter as well as granddaughters and as a man, I'm offended by his stupid remarks.

One of the reasons he said what he did was to distract from the fact that Palin drew over 20,000 people in Auburn NY, got a very warm reception from 12,000 people at the Autism walk, as well as the ballgame, and was given an award by Independent Group Home Living Foundation for helping to raise awareness of people with disabilities.

Now that Palin has cemented a deal between Exxon-Mobile and TransCanada to start construction of a gas pipeline from Alaska through Canada to the lower 48, I wonder what new line of insult or attack will take place to deflect attention away from her big accomplishment.

Zurawik... for once she had the high moral ground? How would you and some of the other commentaries know anything about moral ground? As a father, to attack ANY child is a despicable act that only perverted agenda driven fools would attempt. A politician or any celebrity is open to the public forum, although that has limits as well. As to a few of you who feel the 'joke' crude but OK, you obviously aren't a parent or you are a poor one. One might wonder how Letterman would react if someone on camera would refer to his child as a "bastard"? I'm sure his liberal reaction would be to laugh to the comedic aspects of it. Finally, to Andrew, yes i would love to see Letterman and Palin faceoff. But I would perfer that Palin to be Todd. Letterman's teeth would be wider than they are now.

Hi, Maybe you do not understand what having the hgher moral ground means. It's a good thing. Thanks. Z

CBS is a poor excuse for television entertainment so don't expect to think they will do anything about David Letterman's poor excuse at humor. We are shocked when we here about child rape, yet this old man makes his money making jokes about such a thing. The audience should also be ashamed for laughing! We wonder where our country is headed! Look at what we tolerate without speaking up, Shame on us!

Common Sense and Melba--RIGHT ON! You said everything I wnated to say! I quit watching Letterman some time ago for rude comments he made about someone that were so hateful. I took advantafe of my remote and turned the channel and have not been back. If it can happen to Imus, it should happen to Letterman! The double standard continues to play at the network...what do you say Leslie Moonves? This is where I say......Whhheeerrrre's Johnny? (Yes, you bozo's, I know he's dead!) At least late night TV had some quality to it. Leno was "some" better, and Conan isn't even on the scale. My late night is now a DVD, or a book! Take that to you advertisers.

I'll just say that no one made Sarah Palin parade her kids in front TV cameras for the last year. She chose to prance them on stage when it was convenient for her and send her daughter off to Oprah and use her kids for her selfish political gain. It's no different than the exploitation of the John & Kate kids. She's a giant hypocrite in every facet of her life. Preaching abstinence while she's letting her underage daughter's boyfriend spend the night in the Governor's mansion and then is "surprised" when she's pregnant. That whole mess was the joke to me.

Now she's just grasping onto every event she can get her hands on to keep herself relevent until 2012. Letterman didn't make Bristol get pregnant out of wedlock, nor did he make her a public figure while knowing she would come under intense scrutiny once she was a public figure. Letterman just made a joke that a girl with a promiscuous past and a baseball player that apparently dates a lot of women just combined their histories. It's ridiculous to think he meant the 14 year old. You really think the censor's would have let that through if they even thought thats what he meant???? Are you kidding? Radio is on something like a 7 second tape delay and Imus got hit because no one realized the impact of what he said in the first few seconds. CBS and all of it's legal crew had something like 7 hours to edit the joke out if they had a HINT that he meant the younger daughter because they wouldn't want Letterman to be fired. He's not the face of the network, but he generates money and they wouldn't let him risk it if they could.

No one bothered to check which daughter was actually at the game. Poor journalism? Yes! Letterman making a "sex crime joke about an adolescent female?" Absurd. Everyone should stop and think about things before they jump on their spoaboxes and grab their pitchforks. At the end of the day, Sarah Palin is happy about it and could care less about all of her kids except Bristol and that's just because Bristol is old enough to vote now.

And as always, I try to play it down the middle using the standards of responsible journalism, which have neither a left nor right wing bias. Thanks. Z

So, if you're trying to "play it down the middle", then why do you often cite the arch-conservative Newsbusters website (owned by the blowhard L. Brent Bozell III) when criticizing MSNBC and Keith Olbermann? Do you cite articles from liberal websites, such as The Huffington Post, when criticizing Fox News and Sean Hannity?

As I recall, I cited it once along with other sites as a place to go and read about an appearance of mine on CNN's Reliable Sources. I thought its headline captured best the fact that I criticized both Fox and MSNBC during that appearance, as opposed to Keith Olbermann's dishonest characterization that I criticized only MSNBC. You can read the transcript of Reliable Sources yourself and see which one lied in describing what I said. Thanks. Z

Get a sense of humor people. It was a joke on a late-night television show. Get over yourselves.

Letterman should never have past a remark like that about anyone's daughter regardless of age. He is a perverted loser. The lowest life form with no morals. Only a sick person would want publicity like this. If his ratings are going up it's only because perverted, sick people like him watch his show. Obviously CBC wants this kind of attention or they would have fired his *** a long time ago.

It's about time we took the bull by the horns and boycotted stations and advertisers that condone this type of behavior.

What I find really hilarious is that my entire office and friends are so angry at CBS for not taking action. Sooo, I guess CBS is getting the laughs.

Palin talks rape?? The same Palin who backs policy that makes Alaskan woman pay for their own rape kits?? What a joke. Its amazing that 20% of this country lives in a bubble disonnected from fact and reality. Letterman, yes, bad joke..however, Sarah Palin wasn't talking about the media attention on her daughter when she was recently on the cover of PEOPLE in an expose talking about being a teen mom.. WHO GIVES A S#%T about the Palins. Please run them in 2012, for then I will be assured the 20% whackjobs that supported bush/cheney (for 8 years) and the republican congress (for 12 years) wont run this country into the garbage can again both economically and socially. You 20% are demented Christians that act exactly like the Pharisees. You know who you are , the ones that talk about birth certtificates and lapel pins and socialism (when you accept your unemployment checks because your policiticans have devastated this country). Hint: Open your eyes beyond Hannity and O'Reilly and you will be less hateful and actually informed to world events based on fact not emotion and self loathing.

Matt, I would say that you and anybody else are extremely naive to believe that very convenient excuse of David Letterman's the other day," she told NBC's Matt Lauer

Correct me if Im wrong , but this discourse is coming from a woman that literally believes that man walked with dinosaurs??? Oh yeah, thats right, the 20% whackjobs in the Republican party dont believe in science.

It's funny that all the LOONS are blaming Palin for this. You can criticize her on policy all you want but as your "Lord Obama" said, children of politicians are off limits. This issue has nothing to do w/ being a Republican or Dem, it has to do with being civil.

Dave is just a bitter old man now and hasn't really been funny in years. I think CBS would be wise to start grooming a replacement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X6FUwBmclo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpoliticalhumor%2Eabout%2Ecom%2Fod%2Flettermanvideos%2Fyoutube%2Fletterman%2Dpalin%2Djoke%2Ehtm&feature=player_embedded

Here is David Letterman's attempt at an apology, if anyone is interested.

The only wackjobs are people like you that think sex crimes jokes about teenagers are acceptable.

You would be a wackjob in my neighborhood if you tried to bully our children with those jokes.

I can assure you that all my neighbors whether male or female, black or white, white collar or blue collar, liberal or conservative---we don't put up with people bullying children.

This isn't about politics; it's about standing up to adults that bully children plan and simple.

The only wack job is people like you that defend jokes like this due to your radical political blindness.

Palin's attempt to cash in on this is transparent. But what's to gain from this? She's getting her name in the paper, but not for anything that resonates with the public, as Letterman isn't exactly a political figure, nor public enemy #1.

Sometimes you have to let a pitch go by, and wait for a better one. Accept the apology with grace, and move on to loftier matters of state. You're trying to appear Presidential, you nudnik.

BTW, you have to leap through a few hoops to claim that this is making light of statutory rape.

Letterman is disgusting! He should be off the air. Palin gets high regards for calling him on it and making him the fool. Palin bashers should really check themselves.

If you had watched the interview in it's entirety, you would know that it was Matt Lauer who introduced the topic.

Palin's response to his request to discuss Letterman was:
"If you must"

It doesn't sound like she was the one who wanted the soap box.

Also, why no comment on the meat of the interview. The Natural Gas pipeline and how many jobs it would create for America, in addition to lowering our dependence of foreign fuel source.

I did see it. I thought her "if you must" statement so phony it did not warrant me mentioning it. Palin at her phony best. Please, already. You think she did not know they were going to talk about it, and Lauer surprised or forced her into it? Such things are always discussed and decided before the interview is even agreed to.

I listened to Sarah Palin on the Today show. I am not a big fan of her, but she did make some very good points. The humor was in poor taste and as the parent of teenage daughter's I can certainly sympathize with her feelings. Have there been an comments from the two males who were also a part of the joke? I wonder how they feel. There is often a double standard and the remarks I find very degrading to young women. Sad that our culture allows this kind of demoralizing use of humor.

Amazing!! All the people who side with Letterman are doing so soley because they hate Palin because she's a republican. The rest of the people are looking at the issue and correctly defending Palin.
Does it really matter whether a girl is 14, 17, or 18? In my book, they're all still young girls and should never have sex jokes made about them.
And just because a teenager makes a mistake and has a baby, does that automatically make her a floozy and fair game for sex jokes? The circumstances surrounding any teenage pregnancy is sad, not funny. Letterman is becoming more and more of a jerk and needs to go NOW.

Z...Palin has had her fifteen minutes, she should now quietly go away..(clearly she has no political career left, not that she had one in the first place)...also, not really in the same catagory as the Imus insult...so I know it's your job to sometimes blow things out of proportion...but you know mate, there are much more impoprtant things going on right now....love, Ray.

Sarah Palin is milking this like crazy.
She is a ego maniac, who would throw her kids under the bus to get some attention. I can't believe the republicans are fighting for airtime and will say and do anything to get it.
I think David Letterman didn't do anything that the republicans haven't done, I recall some very nasty remarks toward Chelsea Clinton by republicans when Bill Clinton was President, but that's OK! Oh well the more press they get the worse they look.

I agree the joke was in very poor taste and that Letterman was rightly rebuked. My opinion of him is not as high as it used to be. That being said, he did apologize. Palin should have been gracious and accepted the apology.

Instead, Palin refused the apology and continues promoting the issue. I find it rather tacky and hypocritical. If she doesn't want people talking about her children, then she should stop talking about them too. Doesn't she have anything more important to discuss? She'll never be a Republican leader if this is the only type of attention she can get.

Go Palin!

All of these people can't stand how honest the woman tried to be. She didn't hide her daughter being pregnant and now gets criticized for now keeping it quiet or covering it up.

David Letterman is just an @$$hole. Entertainers really need to find a way to stay out of politics.

Jason,

Just because "Lord Obama" says something, doesn't make it the way life is. Presidents have always wanted world peace, but their SOL on that so far too. The reality is that everyone is fair game in the current way the media works. You don't want your kids blasted all over TV? Then don't make them the focus of your campain. Many politicians lead their careers without their kids being in the limelight. Even the Bush twins got left alone once they just laid low.

It was an inappropriate joke, but she needs to look in the mirror too and rant on the piss poor parenting she's done just to boost her profile the same way she rants on anyone who crosses her.

One more thing about Sarah Palin on the Today show and then I have to sleep more, study, and work, I think in that order, yeah. I have always found that Sarah Palin was rather what was the word "craven" I think, I had to look that one up in Webster. Z your mind must work at the speed of light, give me a chance to catch up sometimes I feel like I am drowning in the deep end. That is probably why you have the PhD. Anyway, maybe that is why I did not care for Sarah Palin, but she actually sounded almost articulate on the Today show when I listened earlier. She also had me convinced the pipeline from Alaska would be good for us, use some of our resources instead of sending everything out of the country. Was she just very well coached for this interview? I absolutely remember when Katie Couric ran circles around her in one interview. I guess they offered coaching for that one, but she would not take it. Anyway she made some sense on the Today show. I really enjoy the blog, it makes me do some research and that is always a good thing!

Hi Sherry, Thanks. Did you and your daughters see the MTV documentary Thursday night? I am sure they are repeating it if you didn't. Z

James C,

I appreciate your response. I do however disagree with you. It seems that only Republicans are "Fair Game" in the media these days. When was the last time there was a deregatory tasteless joke about a democrat's child? Did Letterman make any sort of joke about Biden's daughter doing cocaine? That would seem to be be pretty easy material to write for his show.... and actually funny. The answer is no, and he never would.

The double standard in the media is one of the reasons I find myself moving further to the right these days. I find hypocritical leftisits like Dave Letterman part of a escalating societal problem.

First off...How many "jokes" does Dave make at the expense of the Obama children? My guess is 0... As a matter of fact there has never been any negitive press directed at the Obama children. Amy Carter, Chelsea Clinton and the Bush twins all had negitive things said about them but not the Obama girls...why?
Second if Dave goes does Jay Leno then jump ship and take the helm at CBS. I do not think this will end well for Dave.

The spazzing out from the Palin supporters on here is really pretty funny. The guy made a joke, not a sex-crime joke, and not directed towards a minor but an adult.

You may or may not think it's funny, or that it's in poor taste, but people have a right to express their poor taste. You don't want to hear bad jokes, don't watch the show.

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, offense is in the eye of the offended - you don't want to feel offended, don't read stories about the bad joke.

As to the internet tough guy who claims he'd curb somebody who's behavior he felt was inappropriate, I assume you're intelligent enough to know that unless they're breaking a law they can say any damn thing they want in your neighborhood and you can't lay a finger on them.

Sarah Plain is annoying and full of crap

When Leno went ahead in the ratings, it was when Hugh Grant was caught with the hooker in LA. While not always popular, late night jokes are not always politically correct or nice. I have to agree that it strikes me as odd that Palin is hitting the NBC circuit to talk about this. If Letterman had been specific and said the 18 year old, would as many people be talking about this? I just find it hard to believe that even thought the 14 year old was on the trip that anyone would think he was speaking of her. I admire the Palin's for being open about their daughter and her motherhood. But if anyone thinks Letterman will be fired over this is wrong. I am sure Chelsea loved hearing about her dad and Lewinsky on Tv every night. Or the parents of the kids who were with Michael Jackson. Welcome to the world of late night.

I have not heard one word or seen one word printed about the abuse that was delieverd in his sick joke concerning the women he attacked, The Flight Attendants. I have flown several times and don't recall any flight attendant dressing like sluts. Further more, Letterman (whom I will never watch again) must think about flight attendants and have an extremely low opinion of them. Letterman, like many shows feel appear to think that jokes about people are funny if they think they are. There is only one reason why I am glad about his comment (it was not a joke), it may be his undoing.

Letterman was boorish, but Palin's outrage is very, very manufactured. It reminds me of the lipstick on a pig stuff they tried to peg on Obama last fall. The lady is a professional victim.

Go Sarah Palin!

Go Sarah Palin!

The hypocrisy of the Palins is never ending. They have decided to take a dumb joke that died off the night it was aid and turned it into a crusade. They invited to late night circuit to comment of their lives when they introduced their family to the mainstream media including their underage pregnant unwed daughter and her boyfriend who looked like he didn't want to be there. I'm sure the pressure of not showing up was intense and perhaps an offer he couldn't refuse when it came to the Palins.

This story should never have been but because the dimwit Palin turned this into a crusade, the American public has to endure her lame excuse for a cause. Any person with an eight grade education knew that Dave was referring to Bristol in his joke. Nowhere in that joke was the words "statutory rape" were ever mention. By trying to paint Dave as some sort of sexual pervert is tantamount to slander on Palins part.

She of all people should be held accountable for her racist rants during the political campaign when she was advocating the bodily harm of Obama during her political rallies. Not once did she tell her supporters that the comments that they were making were above the fray. Not once did she say sorry for labeling Obama as a terrorist. Not once did she dissuade her followers into thinking that Obama was not a Taliban sympathizer. She is the queen of hate speeches and advocates unrest if it is not in her view. Remember how she label the "rest of America" in one of her numbing speeches that if you didn't follow her beliefs then you're going to hell.

This woman is just positioning herself away from her own problems in Alaska by making this joke crap a diversion. Once the rhetoric has died down, she'll still be an idiot with problems she can't handle. She owes the state money for those trips she tried o sneak through with her children in tow. Surely the Alaska taxpayers would not be that smart to catch her sneak her children to conferences that they had no reason to being there other than the fact that she didn't want to pay for a babysitter.

David is not the problem in this situation, it's Sarah who's put her foot in her mouth once again and refuses to go away. It's like she's trying to rewrite he political book of dirty tricks by going after a non-political person and making him the punching bag for a tired joke. How pathetic of you Sarah Palin. David is just her way of taking out her anger with the Katie "Cougar" Couric interview, the Charlie Gibson interview, Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live, Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and the "mainstream media" she detest. Come on Sarah, you're not that clever.

Doesn't Sarah Palin shoot animals and not give Alaskan women free rape kits. She is a hypocrite and besides stop using the child card to move your agenda forward with the media. There are very few viewers that will stop buying advertisers goods just because Letterman won't apologize. Most people are smarter than that and don't care about Sarah Palin. Don't forget that's why we live in America. People say and do stupid things every day as they can. Why doesn't Sarah Palin concentrate on something good like helping women. Turn it into something positive instead of always making it negative.

I would like to see the perverted Letterman fired. I've always liked his dry humor but no more. He has crossed a line that almost is criminal. I am a mother of a 14 yr. old daughter and I find his remarks disgraceful and anyone who doesn't isn't a female or parent of one. I do not care if he was referring to Willow or Bristol because he is now considered by so many a pervert and will go down in history as one. Watch the women stand up to this creep. I say "way to go Sarah" you are a great politician and mom. Letterman, I question your parenting.

MCG, posted june 12, 9:51 am-
your an Idiot, why don't u pull your head out of your ..., there is more to
reality than being an Letterman Groupie!

It is as much an attack on Sara Palin as it is her daughter. Where were you as parent that your daughter would find herself in this predicament? She dignifies Letterman's comments by speaking about them on the Today Show. It may help his ratings but make no mistake about it, she is looking for any reason to be on TV.

Sarah Palin just summed up in her outrage over a late night comedy skit how racist and desperate the Republicans are right now. Number one, it was meant as humor but not all humor is funny to some. I will even go as far as to say I don't have a problem with people taking offense to what ultimately was a very bad joke. I'll give pause to that. But what I find most disturbing is that when the same "morally correct" Sarah Palin, in the closing days of the presidential race, was basically giving "hate speeches" at rallies in areas of the country where blacks, latinos and other people of color were not prevalent at all, and when the climate that she created by catering to the worst of, and the vilest of things that you can appeal to in people that led a few to shout out at the rallies, "Kill Him!!", or "Off with his head!!", refering to President Obama. Nothing was said. No outrage. John McCain didn't allow that to go on when he was speaking, being the decent human being he is. But Palin elicited that type of ugly reaction from basically the people who feel that way. And that wasn't a joke people. That was real. So you misguided, phony, hypocrites can save your outrage for someone else. Shame on you racist Palin and shame on the rest of you who said NOTHING when Obama was the target of ugly chants at rallies where Palin spoke. A bad joke vs. advocating murder. This country has gone to hell.

The election ended seven months ago, and she's only getting angry about jokes about her and her family *now*? I smell an attention hound (naturally, the latter word I would wish to substitute for something cruder).

Enough already! This whole thing is absurd. Anyone, with a brain and knowledge of Palin's daughter being 'knocked up' and on the campaign trail must know that is who Letterman was talking about. When he found out it was the 14 yr old, he apologized. If anyone wants him fired they better get the list of all the comedians who have made crude remarks about Palin (and there were plenty) and fire them too. As for the two New York assemblymen who jumped on the bandwagon with Palin, perhaps the media should start investigating them seeing as they are so righteous. She says she is a Christian, if so, it's time to forgive and walk away. I'm stunned this story overshadowed the Holocaust murder of a family man killed by a hate filled 88 yr old man.

Everyone here who sees Letterman's blurb as nothing more than edgy entertainment ought to get a t-shirt that says "A-Rod knocked up my daughter". Save it until your daughter is 14 and then wear it while accompanying her to the mall. It will be a hoot. Either that, or wise up and demand a higher level of discourse, including whatever it is you consider comedy.

Z, I have been tough on you regarding your liberal viewpoints in the past. But I have to admit I am proud that you addressed this issue on face value and didn't add to the list of "What he meant to say" crowd. Somethings transcend politics and picking on politicians and celebrities children are one of them.
Again, thanks for just addressing the issue and staying above the fray by staying neutral.

Ballz Mahoney, I'm outraged by your comments. Can you please post the name of your employer, their address, email and phone number? I'd like us all to contact them and voice our displeasure for your innappropriately biased comments. You offended the senior citizen and mentally challenged population of this country by calling some on an "old jerk" I've set up a toll free counseling line for any one offended. It's 1-800-OLD JERK

Palin should be thanking Letterman for keeping her in the spotlight when her 15 minutes were up. She shouldn't be parading her precious kids around if she didn't want the attention.

Has everyone forgotten Dan Qualye's war with Murphy Brown? Palin will crash on the rocks and Dave will continue onwards. After all, she is dragging her children into the media for gain. The Clinton's kept Chelsea hidden during her under 18 years and did not use her for political gain and yest it was okay to make nasty personal jokes. If you want to talk statutory rape, the is what Charles And Di of the Klondike did in Palin's abode.

For all of the people who find it OK becuase it's Palin, imagine if Letterman had made this kind of a joke about Mowambo or whatever the Obama girl's name is. I don't imagine you'd think it was so cool.

Guy,

You can't spell the word "you're" and use proper grammar, yet I'm the idiot? Pot, meet kettle.

I'm not a "Letterman Groupie". I watch the show maybe five times a year, and when I do it's because someone like Howard Stern, Artie Lange, or Norm MacDonald are appearing on the show.

Hey Mahoney,

Thanks for the email and address. I just emailed telling them that Letterman is great and that he should stay.

He should not have said what he said, but all Palin is trying to do is stay in the head lines, and all of you GOP nuts is loving this because you have nothing else to do. Keep your kids out of the spotlight and no one can say anything about them.It was her under age child who was having a baby, so where was Ms. palin then. She should have been a better parent at that time.

Re: Bernard D Kimmel - I used to be a flight attendant, and well, I was a slut -- but I was proud to be a slut! Trust me, now days flight attendants laugh at such jokes. We have more things to worry about - layoffs, crummy pay, being mistreated by management, drunken or unruly passengers, and of course the never ending threat of terrorism. Do you honestly think we care about a joke made on Letterman?

Dave is using free speech to bring the high and mighty into perspective by using comedy. Sarah wants to restrict his free speech because she has been caught for what she is, and it is funny to those who think about it. She does not want people to think about the real her or her real family so instead she attacks and over reacts. Go to the Alaska Daily News blogs to see how the Alaskan public has come to know Sarah and are regretting being fooled into voting for her. She has had many vendettas in Alaska, trying to get people fired for perceived wrongs to her and her family. She has been repremanded but claims to have been vindicated. This lady does not belong in national politics with this feuding and defensive attitude. Dave has been punished, now lets move on. Unfortunately Sarah likes it right where it is-more People magazine publicity. She should get a reality tv show and get out of politics.

Seriously, can Republicans stop acting like victims all the time? It seems every week there's some new, sanctimonious outrage by America's newest aggrieved minority: the GOP. This week we had two; this Palin publicity seeking nonsense, and the even more ridiculous ploy of complaining Obama put his feet up on the desk in the Oval Office.

Please, to all the Republicans reading this who are crying about trivial tabloid fodder - Go get some self respect and start trying to figure out some solutions to some real problems out there. Lord knows we have plenty - most of them created or exacerbated by the last Republican President and his rubber stamp Congress. Crying and whining is not a solution. It's just pathetic.

"However, children are where we have to draw a line in the proverbial sand. I, as a parent, would take offense to any jokes about the current President's children being made on national TV, so how is this different?"

There is no joke here, the President's daughters are not unwed single moms preaching abstinence.

"someone who can be as verbally calculating and clever as Palin", did you really write that? The Sarah Palin I remember from the presidential campaign was crass and inarticulate and couldn't give one example of a periodical or newspaper she read on a regular basis. How do right wingers who use false moral outrage to gain attention get a reputation for being smart. The woman wouldn't be elected dog catcher by anyone I know.

Let's get real, what would have been said if David had said those jokes about the Obama girls. Everyone thinks that Sarah Palin is a punching bag and wants to put her down. Just because her unwed daughter got pregant out of welock, let the parents that never has had their children get pregant out of welock, or children that never been on drugs or in trouble for anything be the first to talk about or throw stones. David Letterman is so not funny and could make a train take a dirt road with looks. I hope everyone speaks out about this, and maybe he will quit making these lame jokes that get no laughs anyway.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! thought it was funny then and now it just keeps getting better! This woman(Palin) and her kids are a joke, anything to keep in the national spotlight. With luck she can fall out of the helicopter on her next hunting trip.
And while the joke was in very bad taste, he did apologize, she is just milking it for all the free air/press time she can get.
Palin=Fail

Looks like Palin found yet another way to stay in media's attention span. Get over yourself. Letterman's job is to make jokes. People are so PC its disgusting. Thats why kids are so sensitive today, not from the jokes that are made, but from parents shielding them from reality. No one has thick skin anymore or can take a joke.

Really, Pelham. A comment at 2:36 am? I feel for you bro.

Another lonely nite for you at the keyboard, eh?

Glad you defended sex crime jokes about teenagers for the sake of your politics, Heather.

lore:

Yeah, Baltimore sure does a great job of sheltering their youth from life because at least 300 young Baltimoreans are dead before they can make it to adulthood every year. I call it genocide, but maybe that's not PC for some.

I'm just curious who's been sheltering you from reality?

When I heard the joke I thought it was hilarious b/c I knew he was talking about Bristol. He try apologizing to Palin but she wouldnt accept so screw her. He is a comedian for christ sake. I have heard worst. Personally iI think she is doing whatever she can to stay in the spotlight

Debating a comedian is about her speed----she is in over her head
in the political space

If a conservative would have made such a despicable "joke" about Obama's underage daughters, this country would be in an uproar to see that justice was served to the "comedian" that told the joke. David Letterman is a 62 year old man preying on an innocent 14 year old child, that should not be tolerated in the United States of America.

Dave Letterman is not funny at all.
I wish the Australian networks would take his show off full stop.
The drivel that he puts out is shamefull to say the least and doesn't show American's once again in a very favourable light.
The sooner they get rid of him the better.
Aussie shows for Aussies or a decent American comedian not this carp.

Yes, the Letterman camp screwed up. But the Palins lost their moral high ground by their inflammatory rhetoric clearly intended--not to protect their daughter--but to flare up this wave of indignation and thrust Sarah back into the spotlight. Let's just be clear here: nobody--NOBODY--thought David Letterman was advocating or even referencing CHILD RAPE until the Palins opened their big fat mouths. And, by the way, isn't saying you need to keep your 14-year-old daughter away from David Letterman (presumably because he will RAPE her) the SAME BLOODY JOKE that you were SO OFFENDED by in the first place?!!

Hypocrites!

There was a classy way to address your legitimate and reasonable concern about the tone of jokes towards your children. Implying David Letterman wants to RAPE YOUR DAUGHTER was not it! If he's in the gutter, you're right there next to him, you self-serving opportunist!

But it's wonderful that got yourself back into the spotlight, though, Sarah. Your genuine concern for the well-being of women is truly remarkable. Keep running around saying David Letterman wants to rape your teenage daughter; Susan B. Anthony would be proud.

Awe, how sweet of you to ADVOCATE for an adult that makes sex crimes jokes about teenage girls!!! Pedophiles all over the world are so proud of your advocacy!!!

Again, why won't any of Dave's sympathizers answer this simple question?

How would you respond to an adult making fun of your child?

It's interesting that in this whole entire thread, NONE of David's sympathizers have answered this question.

Folks, it is very dispiriting to see how quickly commenters have been getting off the original subject and going for ad hominem attacks.

Can we please move forward and do something intelligent about this whole mess?

David Letterman is not a comedian. He is a TV host who thinks he is a comedian. (Johnny Carson - now he was a comedian! And Bill Cosby is the greatest comedian I've ever heard!)

What was he thinking? (Or, to phrase it another way: What, was he thinking?)

The joke in question was stupid, not funny. Not even witty. No redeeming social value. A waste of good oxygen.

Sarah Palin may be fair game (as is any other public figure), but her offspring are not, REGARDLESS of whether or not she trots them out in public. Period. End of report.

Now - in a perfectable world (in a truly perfect world the alleged joke would never have been written), Letterman should apologize sincerely to all of us and clean up his act. If he did so, would Sarah Palin accept it and shut up? I don't know, since we haven't gotten that apology yet, but I hope so.

Someone once said in the context of free speech that someone's right to swing a fist ends at the tip of someone else's nose.

I've pretty much given up on TV since I discovered National Public Radio - and I don't regret it for a moment.

BTW, (and finally) leave the Obama girls out of this one. Since neither one has reached the age of consent, comparing them to the "he meant Bristol/No he meant Willow" is a non-sequiter in this context.

People, let's keep the whole thing in context and move forward, please. A genuine apology would be greatly appreciated and would clear the air considerably.

And let's not use it as an excuse to tear each other to shreds, PLEASE!

The joke was offensive, but not nearly as offensive as trying to pretend it was about a 14-year-old Until Palin raised the point, nobody thought that joke was about Willow. Letterman deserves no support, but Palin's continuing gross antics at the expense of her children deserve our scorn. Palin's shameless publicity-seeking is the only reason anyone is still thinking about or talking about the joke or her daughters.

For all of the people who find it OK becuase it's Palin, imagine if Letterman had made this kind of a joke about Mowambo or whatever the Obama girl's name is. I don't imagine you'd think it was so cool.

Posted by: alphanumerics | June 13, 2009 8:15 AM.

Typical racist wingnut.

What I find amusing is that ----- Matt Lauer.. I watched the interview a few days ago and thought Palin really gave him the business. I'm waiting for the day that Lauer does something too stupid to recover from.

He and Letterman are both cut off the same cloth - dirty rags.

If either one of these jerks went off the air, it would be fine with me!!

It is unlikely that CBS is going to fire Letterman They have attached a video commercial to the Letterman apology. Not only is CBS getting better ratings on the tube for insulting a 14 year old girl they get better ratings on the web site for the apology. Pay me now and pay me later!!

What's next ??

The only thing saving Dave is that Sarah is not Latina.

DAVID LETTERMAN ASKS FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON HIS NEXT FLIGHT..."IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES THIS COFFEE TASTE LIKE URINE ? "