TAPPER: How do you know when you’ve gone too far?

MAHER: I let the audience be the guide. The bit I did about Palin
using the word c—, one of the biggest laughs in my act, I did it all
over the country, not one person ever registered disapproval, and
believe me, audiences are not afraid to let you know. Because it was
a routine where that word came in at just the right moment. Context is
very important, and it’s also important to remember that stand-up
comedy is the final frontier of free speech. Still, I stopped doing
that routine, but I would like someone to replace that word if it’s so
awful with another one that has the same meaning for a person – not
just women, it’s a word you can and lots do (all the British, for
example) use for both sexes. It has a very specific meaning.

TAPPER: And that’s not comparable to what Limbaugh said about Sandra Fluke?

MAHER: To compare that to Rush is ridiculous – he went after a
civilian about very specific behavior, that was a lie, speaking for a
party that has systematically gone after women’s rights all year, on
the public airwaves. I used a rude word about a public figure who
gives as good as she gets, who’s called people “terrorist” and
“unAmerican.” Sarah Barracuda. The First Amendment was specifically
designed for citizens to insult politicians. Libel laws were written
to protect law students speaking out on political issues from getting
called whores by Oxycontin addicts.