Don Imus (certainly not on our side) went on a begging tour, invited Al Sharpton to his show and apologized most abjectly. It won him nothing. Larry Summers did the same thing, beg and apologize. Same result. Trent Lott …

Why should David Letterman be any different?

---

 To me, “consensus” seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects … There are still people in my party who believe in “consensus” politics. I regard them as Quislings, as traitors … I mean it.
      - Margaret Thatcher
NOTE: “consensus” = “Bipartisanship™”/”Centrism™”

The original set of comments reveal the man. This is just pandering on his part in an attempt to make it go away.

The governor will probably declare victory and move on.

Most of her supporters, I expect, will do the same.

“The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.” - Darth Vader

- JP

…But I’ll need to see the transcript to know for sure.

All I can say is if this is another half-assed apology from Letterman, his goose is cooked.

So David, how’s that feel? You might put a little ice on that ego, Big Guy!

It’s not just the reference to Governor Palin and her family. It’s the matrix of the comment, A woman who is a slut has a whore for a daughter. The man needs to be fired!

I think a few things forced Letterman into making this somewhat improved, but still lame and convoluted response.

1. NOW put him in their hall of shame.
2. Mark Shields pretty much called him creepy on the Lehrer news show.

When he gets attacked by THOSE people, he pays attention.
Otherwise, he would have kept up the petty defensiveness and mudslinging.

Palin needs to let this go immediately, and rise above the pathetic has-been named Letterman. If she is a statesman, if she is a leader, she needs to act like he’s old news.

Note to Glenn Beck:
I agree that we do NOT want a joke czar, and that Letterman shouldn’t lose his job over this particular situation.

However, this is not Letterman’s first offense. For the past 3 years, he’s been eliminating wide segments of his audience. He is another Bill Maher-wannabe.

Dave willfully substituted broad-based humor for political advocacy during the entire political season of the presidential election. He showed he was most interested in promoting liberal causes (including global warming authors) and clumsily criticizing conservatives by trying to talk “serious” policy with media and political guests. It’s been a train wreck.

He has gotten away with this for far too long. He had no business saying anything about anybody’s daughter.. period. Any clear thinking human being knows this.. Sarah Palin will probably become a voice for the miss treatment of all women regardless of political preference.

*I’m* still not watching.

I think its time move on and let the market take Dave I always thought was Jerk. i probaly havnt watch any late nightsince King Johnny left the airway.As far Dave concerned like our Treas.Sec. and the former Senator from the Great of South Daktoa they only sorry that they got the appointment and then they had pay the tax because it didnt look good .oh well bedtime here have good night youall

This is vintage Letterman — he’s still milking it for the ratings.

David Letterman: “

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)

Does cbs have to pay him anyway?

I didn’t hear the apology, but if it is genuine I think DL was pressured when sponsors made phone calls and demanded it.

That is the message here. It was necessary, apparently, to lay down the rules for the likes of Letterman as to what kind of commentary or “jokes” would be acceptable for a political figure like Gov Palin.

In previous, better times in our great country, it was not necessary to spell out to a loser like Letterman that calling the governor of our biggest state, a mother of five and a devoted wife a “slut” or calling her daughters whores was unacceptable.

Sarah pursued this against the advice of various conservative and RINO pundits, because Letterman had to made an example of — he had to understand the price he would pay for defending his remarks. Being a coward and a lazy buffoon who does not want to lose his choice gig, Letterman caved, as was predictable.

By all means let’s move on — Sarah Palin is a busy woman who has little time for this nonsense — as long as it is understood what the price will be for any miscreant who takes a shot at the Guv’s family.

If people continue to beat him down, in the future why bother to apologize?
And yeah, he probably only said he was sorry to get everybody off his back, but since I can’t prove that I’m taking him at his word.
Now it’s between him and the Palins as far as I’m concerned.
I won’t watch him anyway, either way, as his show just isn’t funny like it once was, which was back when Carson was still on.

Note to lefties;
“Don’t be afraid to see what you see.”
Ronald Reagan

Join the RedState Strike Force

Chip in to get rid of “Babs” (Yes ma’am) Boxer.

still shift of blame and he is no Obama.
I say, slay the no talent by switching him off, while a no brainer for me as I work and am not up that late.
Waste of time and another distraction.

“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”

Tell that joke about my 23 year old daughter like that you ass and I will have you for breakfast.

And Palin did just that.

Lesson learned.
Forgiveness none

he showed the world he is nothing more than a PERVERT who despises and disrespects women! He also helped show the world that liberals have two sets of rules for women and for that I thank him! He did more in one night than it has taken us Conservative in women years to do……he showed that WE are fair game because of our politics and that irrrelevent organizations like N.O.W. are NOTHING. David Letterman is a washed up comedian if he ever was one and that is the only thing that is debatable!

Whoever has his enemy at his mercy &
does not destroy him is his own enemy

Sarah realizes that there is nothe ing to be gained by a long public feud with Dave the Digusting well time to go to work and make a dollar or to have good day everybody

just another attempt to obfuscate.

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.

(Snip…)

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.”

Everything Letterman said was “just words,” because it doesn’t matter that he “checked to make sure in fact that she is of legal age, 18.”

Age is irrelevant as to whether, or not, Letterman’s “intent” was “sexist” on its face.

No matter what he says now, his first reaction was the real Letterman, a crude neanderthal. He’s trying again because he has to, sponsors are feeling the heat and for no other reason. Imus must be wondering what the deal is.

Letterman SHOULD BE FIRED, on principle, in any event, NOT because sponsors are complaining/withdrawing.

Let him “try to do better” in new employment as a gas station attendant or grocery bagger, if he can find one that will hire him.

…Gov Palin will manage this outcome to her advantage, or she won’t. She’s a professional, and knows the risks of overplaying vs. underplaying. Nice dig about Letterman and his ilk still having the opportunityto ‘evolve’. Heh.

Got a nice, personal response back from the Programming Director at my local CBS affiliate, acknowledging my concerns and informing me that he had passed them on to CBS. File his name away for later, if necessary.

That part of the Chattering Classes dependent on viewership and advertisers have been put on notice — there is a line and they just crossed it. We will let this incident drop, but we will “file it away” for easy recall. We know we can hurt you and your sponsors the next time, too, and we know we can shame you into backing down and apologizing. Remember this, because we will.

Forgive, and move on — to Conan O’Brien on NBC. CBS and the Letterman franchise shed some brand equity that they will never retrieve. I’ll follow the Gov’s lead, AND I’ll never watch the Letterman show, again.

Hope it was worth it, Dave, for the few cheap yuks from your peanut gallery. Hope he’s worth it, Mr. Moonves, the $40M/year you pay this guy to alienate half your potential audience.

These are from last week. Anybody have last night’s numbers?

http://www.kansascity.com/236/story/1246153.html

Palin accepted the apology, and it is her call. I respect that.

Letterman, for all of the foolishness involved, did the right thing to apologize.

We look bigger accepting the apology and moving on than dragging this thing on. But it isn’t for us to look big anyway. Gov. Palin was the one offended, and she determines how far this thing goes. She’s been a class act throughout.