Dave Letterman's Palin nightmare over?
(Getty Images Photo)
Yes, it does appear over.
Sarah Palin has accepted the apology, and her written response aired on "Today" shortly after 7. "Of course I accept [the apology] on behalf of young women like my daughters."
There was more, but there were no "ifs," "ands" or "buts." It was unequivocal - apology accepted.
A couple minutes earlier, during an interview with John McCain, David Gregory asked about the Letterman flap and apology. Said McCain:
"I appreciate the fact that he did and I think we ought to move on."
And so everyone should.
Here's the full statement, released early this morning:
"Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve," she said.
"Letterman certainly has the right to 'joke' about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction," Palin said. "This is all thanks to our U.S. Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's Right to Free Speech - in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect."
Meanwhile, I see that the Firedavidletterman rally - yes, it's really called that and so is the Web site - is still going forward today. But it's going to be a sad, lonely and cranky affair, I suspect: What are the organizers going to demand? That Dave issue the apology in multiple languages, including Urdu? That Dave never make tasteless jokes again? That Sarah Palin really didn't mean to accept the apology? That the cool and bracing summer air of Juneau has deluded her judgment?
OK, OK, I'm being a little flip. There may be other ways for Dave and/or CBS to get this problem behind them; the New Agenda, a Westchester-based group that says it's nonpartisan and dedicated to helping girls and young women from violence, has some thoughts. Go to the jump for that...
From the press release...
“David Letterman’s ’joke’ at the expense of two children has provided our country with a teachable moment to address the national crisis of the sexualization of our teenage daughters. This is an important opportunity for our country, and we must not squander it,” said Amy Siskind, president of The New Agenda. “Letterman said he would do better in the future, he and CBS can prove it by devoting airtime to the national crisis of violence against teenage girls.”
Siskind added that failed attempts at humor are one of the top ways of demeaning and objectifying women and girls. “And as Letterman discovered the hard way, it’s just not funny. Sexualizing our girls may have sold in the past, but the mothers and fathers of our country are no longer buying it!”
The New Agenda notes that serial offenses from the so-called “entertainment” industry this year have created a wake-up call about the role media plays in creating an environment that enables and encourages violence against women: Chris Brown’s assault of Rihanna, Playboy’s “hate rape” list of conservative women, the shameless Letterman defenders of ‘jokes’ about sex with children. There is a disturbing level of blaming the victim and asking her to just take a joke or deal with the beatings she had coming. A poll conducted by the Boston Globe showed that 46 percent of teenagers polled believed that Rihanna was responsible for Chris Brown’s attack
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Top 10 Reasons Letterman Apologized
10: Even Paul was offended.
9: Michael Jackson threatened to quit giving him dating tips.
8: A-Rod was going to beat the hell out of him.
7: Willow Palin was going to beat the hell out of him.
6. Done with Palin, Time for McCain!
5. It's prom season!
4. Willow didn't return calls.
3. Obama said: "That's enough for now".
2. Needs to focus on reruns of Punky Brewster.
1. CBS said they would take away his subscription to "Girl Scouts Monthly".
I'm a little baffled at Sarah Palin's obviously self-promoting outrage. If Levi Johnston's statements about Sarah and Bristol are true, then Sarah Palin was guilty of loaning out a copulation room for the young lovers. Judging by the obvious way she parades her good Christian family around, evidently whoring her own daughter out, it's no wonder there are comedians making jokes.
"OK, OK, I'm being a little flip."
Uh....yeah Gay.
You oughtta quit while you're behind.
Do you still maintain that this joke was "really about A-Rod"???
Never saw a correction or retraction to that misguided statement by you.
Game's over.. time to move on without any further sophomoric cheap shots.
(Is there any hope for people entrenched within McCluhan's beast? I think so, but I am forever an optimist).
Enjoyed the short time spent here.
Til the next battle sir... (cuz there will be another).
Islander505
I am always baffled at comments like Josey. Sarah Palin went to New York to advocate for autism, and I see the connection to her own special needs child. She brought along her younger daughter, ostensibly to include her, and did the event and some of the city. Yes she is a political figure, but this was not a political event, except the dems and their people made it one.
This is not a liberal/conservative issue, it's just plain old politics, and the democrats in the media are always holding up their party. They are blind to democrat faults, and vilify any republican for any reason.
The jokes were indefensible. The Palin's have been drawn through the mud continually. And it is unfortunate Josey, that you are taking the word od Levi at face value, when he is obviusly trying to get as much as he can out of this. Bringing civility back will meant that dems and repubs will have to police their own, which the media is incapable of doing since they are fully into the dem advocate role.
the only thing Dave needs to apologize for is getting Sarah Palin in the news, If dave were fired for this I would never watch a CBS show again even though alot of my favorite ashows are on CBS.
Sarah Palin's response to Dave's apology
"Since accepting David Letterman's apology, it has been pointed to my attention that I and a member of my staff, in anger and in retaliation to his rude joke, you know, made statements that, again, could be understood or interpreted to mean or cause people to conclude that Dave Letterman was a pedophile. In answer to those people and to people anywhere who might have misunderstood, and to speak in the spirit of generosity and acknowledgment of his apology, I want to apologize for our misleading statement and we regret suggesting that, even in our anger, we ever thought Dave was such an awful criminal thing. It was wrong and two wrongs don't make a right, and I'm sorry and hopefully we can put this episode behind us where it rightfully belongs."
– Sarah Palin
The top 10 reasons why Letterman apologized:
10. Todd Palin invited Letterman on a snow machine ride in an area of Alaska where "accidents happen."
9. He really wants her on the show so he can look down her shirt.
8. "Young'uns.com" pulled the link to his show off their website
7. He saw Michele Bachmann on Youtube and no longer has a crush on Sarah Palin
6. Willow and her friends egged his house last night.
5. He met a flight attendant that looked like a smart and attractive politician.
4. Team Sarah bought all the tickets to his show last night and sat in the audience with their arms folded.
3. He couldn't see the punch line from his house.
2. The last old guy that dissed her got crushed in a national election
And the number 1 reason why Letterman apologized to Sarah Palin:
David Axelrod hired him a better writer
Quoting Tami, "[t]hey are blind to democrat faults, and vilify any republican for any reason."
Uhh, Democrat is a noun not an adjective. The adjective is "Democratic."
I've seen this obvious error time and time again with conservatives and people who take their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh.
Unintentional grammatical errors are one thing. But, I simply can't take anyone seriously who intentionally writes in broken English. You may think it's cute, but it signals to me that you are an immature, narrow-minded individual who doesn't think for herself.
Dave certainly had enough to say about Bristol's pregnancy during the campaign... It amazes me that when someone chooses to have child they are blasted, yet its OK with Dave and the liberals that there are one and half million abortions a year......
Dave certainly had enough to say about Bristol's pregnancy during the campaign... It amazes me that when someone chooses to have child they are blasted, yet its OK with Dave and the liberals that there are one and half million abortions a year......
Let's hope this is the end of the David Letterman - Sarah Palin feud. While last week Letterman apologized, it was in a snarky sort of way, and wasn't accepted by Palin...
Exclusive Video here:david letterman sarah palin joke
Palin is exploiting her 14 year old daughter for publicity. SHE should apologize to Letterman for her slanderous remarks. She is trailer trash and so is Bristol
i don't watch letterman, i think he is ignorant. but didn't i
he "knocked up" a young woman and then waited years to
make his child ligitament??? of course i could be wrong. as
for calling himself a comic i would say yes he is someone to
be laughed at.
i don't watch letterman, i think he is ignorant. but didn't i
he "knocked up" a young woman and then waited years to
make his child ligitament??? of course i could be wrong. as
for calling himself a comic i would say yes he is someone to
be laughed at.
i don't watch letterman, i think he is ignorant. but didn't i
he "knocked up" a young woman and then waited years to
make his child ligitament??? of course i could be wrong. as
for calling himself a comic i would say yes he is someone to
be laughed at.
i don't watch letterman, i think he is ignorant. but didn't i hear
he "knocked up" a young woman and then waited years to
make his child ligitament??? of course i could be wrong. as
for calling himself a comic i would say yes he is someone to
be laughed at.
Part of the problem is that if insensitive comments are made by others, such as Al Campanis, Ms. California or Ron Imis, the concequences are deadly. Since the shoe is on the other foot, the reaction should be no suprise.
Letterman needs an up-to-date reality check. He has always been arrogant and self-centered, but occasionally humorous. Now he is just a smarmy old fool with the manners of a goat.
I think a good joke could be made about an Old Man who shacked up and knocked up his live in - I am talking about Dave Letterman. The baby is around five now and Letterman recently married the mother. In this situation which is funnier, a young teenage girl who got knocked up or a buck tooth - with teeth parted in the middle, with thinning hair (he combs from the back to the front hoping it makes him look younger) Old man knocking someone up.
And for those who say Sarah Palin paraded her family a around and whored them to the public. When Letterman announced the birth of his son (who had no legal father) on his show, I say he whored his baby and the baby's unwed mother to the public. Any body want to make a so called joke about any of them?.
mbline
Can't any of you people rise above petty political differences? Letterman apologized because he realized his joke was degrading to women. Palin is an idiot, and would still be an idiot if she were a democrat.
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