Video: Letterman non-apologizes to Palin; Update: McCain scolds Letterman

I had a few long moments of panic after publishing last night’s post when I considered that Entertainment Weekly might have taken him out of context. Surely he didn’t really defend himself by saying he only meant to call Bristol a whore, not Willow. Except … he did, as you’re about to see. No apology, either; the closest we get is an admission that he “probably” regrets having told those jokes — which are duly repeated here in their entirety — but only after admitting that he “kind of likes” the one comparing Palin herself to a “slutty flight attendant.” On some basic level he doesn’t understand what the problem is here (e.g., comparing Spitzer and Alex Rodriguez, each of whom sought fame, to Bristol, who didn’t), and no wonder: Much of the left’s derision towards Palin and her daughter stems from the perception that they’re white trash, a class-oriented smear which Dave naturally figured he could mine for a few safe slut/whore jokes at their expense. Imagine his mystification at suddenly finding out that he can’t. Evidently it’s not just cultured, well educated, progressive girls like the Obama sisters who are off-limits for cheap shots.

Sounds like the ‘Cuda’s done playing nice with him after this. Exit quotation from the governor’s spokesman: “The Palins have no intention of providing a rating’s boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show. Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman.”

Update: A mild rebuke from Maverick, but better than saying nothing at all.

Republican Senator John McCain has a message for late-night comic David Letterman: Enough with the jokes about Sarah Palin and her family…

“I don’t understand why Letterman would say that about a young woman,” McCain said during a telephone interview on Thursday. “They (the Palins) deserve some kind of protection from being the butt of late-night hosts.”

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