David Letterman in hot seat after Palin joke

[oregonbucfan]

People need to lighten up.

I agree that Letterman needs to lighten up.   His "agenda" against republicans is a tired act.   I'm not democrat or republican, but it's pretty obvious that this was just a personal attack and not even an attempt at humor.

yep I laugh when O'Reilly goes on, Letterman gets very PO very quick. he needs to lighten up.

[Scholty]

Well, this thing has been bantered around long enough and with this statement below I think it's all done and over with.

Here's the full text of Letterman's comments, which will be telecast tonight.
�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)

 

[cyberdude557]

Someone needs to tell Dave to cool it on the sex jokes for awhile...

-----------------------------
David Letterman is in the hot seat for several crude jokes he made on CBS' "The Late Show" about Sarah Palin and her teenage daughter.

Letterman, in his monologue Monday night, noted that the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate attended a Yankees game during a trip to New York City, where she was honored by a special needs group. Letterman referred to Palin, Alaska's governor, as having the style of a "slutty flight attendant."

The "Late Show" host also took a shot Palin's daughter, while poking fun at the Yankees' third baseman.

“One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game," Letterman said, "during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.�

The backlash was almost immediate, with Palin's supporters denouncing the CBS host for making jokes that many said were sexist and for what they called an unfair attack on the governor and her family.

“I think that calling the former vice presidential candidate a slut or saying that her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez, I think everyone can agree that’s over the line,� Washington Examiner correspondent Byron York told FOX News’ Greta Von Susteren.

But an even more disturbing fact, which Letterman may not have known, was that the daughter who accompanied Palin on her trip to New York was 14-year-old Willow � not 18-year-old Bristol, the unwed mother of Palin's first grandchild.

Now, many critics � including the Palins themselves – are slamming Letterman for jokes that they say make light of sexual abuse of an underage girl.

In a statement to FOXNews.com, Palin accused Letterman of making "sexually perverted" and “inappropriate" comments that she doubted he would “ever dare make� about anyone else’s daughter.

"Acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others," she said.

Palin's husband, Todd, echoed her sentiments, telling FOXNews.com, "Any ‘jokes’ about raping my 14-year-old are de**CENSORED**able. Alaskans know it, and I believe the rest of the world knows it, too."

A representative for “The Late Show� declined to offer comment for this story.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525724,00.html

[bradentonian]

Weak.  I thought it was funny.

[Booker]

Dumb thing to say and Letterman has never been funny

[Boid Fink]

Meh.  Weaksauce.

[cyberdude557]

Weak. I thought it was funny.

I don't think its funny to put kids in with sex jokes. That's a bit low.

You dont like the woman's politics, fine. Go after her. But leave the kids out of it.

[JavaBuc]

I don't see how you can find that funny.    Would you find it funny if he said the same thing about Michelle Obama and her kids?

[Booker]

If it was about Obamas wife on how she dressed the world would literally explode in whines and people calling for his head.

[oregonbucfan]

no surprise.

Letterman is bitter his wife isnt as hot

[Morgan]

Palin is old news - as are the pregnant children who she paraded in front of the nation during their 15 mins of fame. 

Letterman needs to update his material.

[mrtks]

no surprise.

Letterman is bitter his wife isnt as hot

As hot as Palin? God she is so not hot!

[JavaBuc]

no surprise.

Letterman is bitter his wife isnt as hot

As hot as Palin? God she is so not hot!

Make your own decision.

[oregonbucfan]

no surprise.

Letterman is bitter his wife isnt as hot

As hot as Palin? God she is so not hot!

well you probably like the more dike/short hair look like Hillary. Your the last person Id go for, for advise on hotness

[Biggs3535]

no surprise.

Letterman is bitter his wife isnt as hot

As hot as Palin? God she is so not hot!

Here's more of your type