Letterman to apologize to Palin tonight

posted at 8:17 pm on June 15, 2009 by Allahpundit

The Times says he’s apologizing “again” but that implies that he apologized the first time, which he didn’t. He does tonight, but it’s still not clear that he understands what he’s apologizing for. Note to Dave: Yes, the “perception” that you were talking about Palin’s 14-year-old daughter getting knocked up made it a bad joke. The reality that you were talking about her 18-year-old daughter getting knocked up makes it a bad — albeit less bad — joke too. How about eschewing sex jokes about teens altogether in the future, champ? Full transcript via TV Week:

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 this mean the “Fire Letterman” protest tomorrow is canceled? Aw. While you ponder, here’s a related clip from today’s Cavuto reminding us once again that Fred Thompson is the luckiest man in the world. Exit question: What really motivated Letterman to do this? Sincere remorse? A cynical play for more ratings? Or the simple fact that he was starting to lose sponsors over it?

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jon1979
“OK, lets give Letterman and his writing staff the benefit of the doubt here, and say he and they did write the joke for Monday’s show without checking the details of who was with Rudy at Yankee Stadium”.

There is NO DOUBT. His “joke” was targeted at Willow Palin. Keep in mind this “joke was scripted, written down, on the teleprompter. This also means CBS APPROVED the joke.

“without checking the details of who was with Rudy at Yankee Stadium”

That would make him a liar as he has already said many times He checked the story.

Clearly CBS knew it was Willow so how did CBS/Letterman not know it was Willow?

Alaska Gov. Palin Talks About Special Needs In NY – wcbstv.com
Jun 7, 2009 … NEW YORK (CBS) ―. Click to enlarge … an anniversary celebration for the Manorville-based Independent Group Home Living Inc. after attending a Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister. …
wcbstv.com/topstories/palin.special.needs.2.1034707.html

Do you see the problem here? Monday was June 9th
Letterman claims ”HE” checked twice to ensure Bristol was 18 and at the game.

CBS, along with 3000 other articles, reported accurately it was 14 year-old Willow at the game. That was June 7th.
To accept Letterman’s/CBS excuse we also have to believe no one at CBS knew about the Palin at a Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister that was CBS “TOP STORY” on June 7th.

That’s kinda hard to believe ya think?

Dave didn’t care that the joke was going to be perceived to be about the 14-year-old, because he didn’t think making whore jokes about Palin’s daughters could ever get him into serious trouble.

FIFY, truth is simple

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 2:01 PM

If most people did perceive it that way, don’t you think A-Rod would have rightly complained? Because then, the joke would be that he was a rapist.
YYZ on June 15,

Don’t know anything about A-Rod. Is it possible he is too stupid to know Letterman accused him of rape in the joke?

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 2:11 PM

Yeah, but I think we proved our point. It’s time to move on now. I don’t want to see Letterman publicly executed or anything like that. I’ll leave those tactics to the moonbats.

It would be a coup for Palin to accept the apology in the most gracious terms possible and go on.
ddrintn on June 15

When he comes clean and honest I will forgive him, after all if he does come clean and honest he will be unemployed.

The lies CBS/Letterman are spinning here make “memo gate” pail.

CBS needs to explain how CBS did not know it was Willow at the game, Per CBS top story June 7th that it was Willow at the game.

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 2:22 PM

What happens the next time someone makes a Palin joke? That is what this is about. It’s not about her kid at all.
Countdown to the next outrage.
Moesart

Uh people have been making “Palin” jokes since she was picked.

If this reaction was due to a ““Palin” joke we would have seen it a thousand times by now.

Reality proves this is about making rape/whore jokes about a 14 year-old girl.

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 3:19 PM

but I think that whole “rape” meme was inappropriate.
YYZ

What exactly do you call a 30 + year old man having sex with a 14 year-old girl?

The only word in our society for that is RAPE.

As Neo pointed out “

The joke was written, vetted, refined and approved”

By CBS/Letterman.

This CBS to be exact.

CBS New York “TOP STORY” June 7th 2009

Alaska Gov. Palin Talks About Special Needs In NY – wcbstv.com
Jun 7, 2009 … NEW YORK (CBS) ―. Click to enlarge … an anniversary celebration for the Manorville-based Independent Group Home Living Inc. after attending a Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister. …
wcbstv.com/topstories/palin.special.needs.2.1034707.html

YYZ could you please give a believable rational for how CBS New York missed the fact that it was 14 year-old Willow at the game?

CBS/Letterman “The joke was written, vetted, refined and approved”

It’s a very simple question YYZ, how did they miss dat?

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 3:56 PM

All right, here – I’ve been thinking about this situation with Governor Palin and her family now for about a week

Naw really? Just been mulling about this in his head for a week no outside force contributing to your “thinking”

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 4:03 PM

I would like for Letterman to be fired.. just to send a message to Hollyweird that enough is enough.

GoodBoy on June 16, 2009 at 3:02 AM

Never will happen.

There would be such outrage from the otherside if he was fired the Palins and her prominent followers would probably have to go into witness protection.

AprilOrit on June 16, 2009 at 4:05 PM

ol’ Dave. In his mind his worst offense is apparently having told an unfunny joke.
Missy on

Dats what I’m talking about! See truth is simple!

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 4:08 PM

Gird your loinses, folks – the MSM will soon be lecturing you as to how Rusty DePass speaks for you and is the fc*king leader of the GOP.

First Obama is an adult, not a14 year-old girl and technically he is correct, if you believe in evolution.

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 4:37 PM

And to prove that offensiveness isn’t in the eye of the beholder, you’ll support Al Sharpton on his next crusade to get some media figure fired, right?
YYZ

Depends on what the reason is.

You seem to be looking for an “absolute”, those are hard to come by, it’s a very short list like

Rapping a 14 year-old girl is wrong. I think most would see that as an “absolute”

Joking about rapping a 14 year-old girl is wrong. I think most would see that as an “absolute”

Now trying to pretend the joke was not about 14 year-old Willow is pathetic, disgusting, lame and childish.

Now, is that an “absolute”? No.

These people could also be perverted sick twisted and I’m sure there are hundreds more.

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 5:08 PM

By the way, has the FCC been disbanded? What does one have to do to get the FCC fining CBS? Jokes regarding the rape of a 14 year old is not enough??!!
Jeff

Good point I have another question.
Shouldn’t making jokes about rapping a 14 year-old girl trigger a sex crimes investigation?

If ya came across a middle school teach making jokes about rapping 14 year-old girls, wouldn’t that cause an investigation if not being fired on the spot?

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 5:20 PM

I also am certain that Palins kids were not afforded the same hands-off coverage that we saw for Chelsea Clinton or the Obama brats. It’s a double standard that is unforgivable.
highhopes

Just a reminder.

Pimping out Chelsea Clinton

Strange, NBC had no problem in dealing with David Shuster when he made a crack about Chelsea Clinton being “pimped out”

TV presenter David Shuster has been suspended by NBC for remarks about Chelsea Clinton on MSNBC after asking if she was being “pimped out” by the campaign, which is using her to make calls to undecided super-delegates.

Filling in for Tucker Carlson on ‘Tucker’, Shuster said, “Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?” Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson called the comment “beneath contempt” today and said it could threaten Clinton’s participation in further debates on the network.

He pointed to a history of hostile comments towards the Clintons on MSNBC after hostile questioning from Tim Russert at debates, and Chris Matthews’ comment a couple of weeks ago that Mrs Clinton got where she is on a sympathy vote.

Shuster apologized on air this morning. Not clear when he will be seen again.

Hillary Clinton said Saturday that the remarks made Thursday on MSNBC about her daughter Chelsea being “pimped out” by the campaign were “incredibly offensive,” and she expects “appropriate action” taken.

“I am a mother first and a candidate second, and I found the remarks incredibly offensive,” Clinton said. “I can take whatever comes my way, that’s part of what I signed up for as a candidate, as an office holder. But I think that there’s been a troubling pattern of comments and behavior that has to be held accountable. So I have sent a letter to the head of NBC expressing the deep offense that I took and pointing out what has been a troubling pattern of demeaning treatment and I would expect appropriate action to be taken.”

Interesting?

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 5:35 PM

Jim Treacher

I don’t think he was trying to weasel out of it.

Yes, he did say the perception didn’t match the intent,

Jim this is a flat out lie. As Neo pointed out “The joke was written, vetted, refined and approved” By CBS/Letterman and his staff.

The SAME CBS by station that ran this story

CBS New York “TOP STORY” June 7th 2009

Alaska Gov. Palin Talks About Special Needs In NY – wcbstv.com
Jun 7, 2009 … NEW YORK (CBS) ―. Click to enlarge … an anniversary celebration for the Manorville-based Independent Group Home Living Inc. after attending a Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister. …
wcbstv.com/topstories/palin.special.needs.2.1034707.html

Jim so long as this “lie”, that it was an “honest mistake” not knowing which daughter was at the game is allowed to stand, no apology is real or true.

My point is he/CBS are lying. It is undeniable they are lying.

IMO it was absolutely targeted at 14 year-old Willow JUST to get ratings.

For that Letterman must be fired.

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.

Winston Churchill

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 5:55 PM

I thought I was telling it about the older daughter being at Yankee Stadium. … 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.

…was followed by this:

And I had, honestly, no idea that the 14-year-old girl, I had no idea that anybody was at the ball game.

Tom, this is a lie.

CBS reported on June 7th “attending a Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister”

Tom, how does one mistake the name Willow for Bristol?
There not spelled the same, not even close. Willow has 6 letters and Bristol has 7 letters.

How stupid do you have to be to believe this BS excuse that CBS/ Letterman didn’t know who was at the game?

It was CBS that reported who was at the game.

Please Tom, please explain how this mistake could have happened 2 days running, on both Monday and Tuesdays shows!

This should be a hoot!

DSchoen on June 16, 2009 at 6:12 PM

Fire Him, Fire Him NOW!!! FCC tag CBS with a $10M fine!!

Jeff from WI on June 16, 2009 at 6:51 PM

Let’s quit playing with this. I’ll just say it all for the group. May Letterman keel over from a massive coronary tonight and rot in hell.

Jeff from WI on June 16, 2009 at 7:01 PM

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