Letterman apologizes for joke, but Palin supporters vow to continue fight

Under fire for a risque joke last week, David Letterman has apologized to Gov. Sarah Palin and her supporters. But a group urging CBS to fire the host says it's still not enough. 

On CBS' "Late Show" tonight, Letterman says he's sorry about a monologue earlier this month in which he joked that New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez impregnated Palin's daughter during a game. Letterman has said he intended the joke to be in reference to Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol, but Gov. Palin actually attended the game with her 14-year-old daughter Willow. Some critics have accused Letterman of joking about statutory rape.

"I told a bad joke," Letterman told viewers at an afternoon taping. "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."

He concluded, "I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future."

However, the Los Angeles talk radio host behind the group firedavidletterman.com told The Times that Letterman's apology falls short.

"I'm glad he's acknowledged we're right," said John Ziegler, a creator of the film "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted" and who this month began a new show on KGIL. "I think it's a good first step in the right direction, but I don't think it's enough." Part of the problem, he added, is that Letterman made a "horrendous attempt at an apology" last week, when he devoted several relatively light-hearted minutes to the controversy, invited Palin on his program and repeated the joke.  

Ziegler said he was not sure what sanction Letterman should face, but options should include suspension and firing. The host could also donate to a charity of Gov. Palin's choice, he said. Meanwhile, the group is still planning a rally Tuesday outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where Letterman tapes his show.

CBS did not respond to a request for comment beyond Letterman's remarks.

-Scott Collins  

Comments

[marsattax]

Who cares. Palin is a joke.

[MissT]

I am so sick of these Palin losers. Letterman apologized, and as far as I'm concerned he didn't even owe an apology. NEWS FLASH TO SARAH PALIN.... YOUR DAUGHTER GOT KNOCKED UP. She KNOWS that this joke was not about Willow, yet she insists on keeping the issue going. She does not care what effect this nontroversy might have on her child, she has to keep it on the news because she likes the publicity. She constantly uses her family to further her own career, even if it upsets or endangers them (who would take an infant to a political convention with thousands of screaming fans at 10 at night? No parent I know). She's a horrible parent, a horrible politician, and a horrible human being. Someone please tell her her time is up. She has proven over and over that she can't take public scrutiny. She will never be president. YOu hear me Palinites? SHE WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT! Whenever something negative is said about her, she does that damsel-in-distress routine and these sucker Republicans fall for it. I think if they want to be governed by her so badly they need to move to Alaska.

[Lloyd]

Well, that lowers my opinion of Letterman.

[ELy]

Doesn't the official religion of the lunatic right fringe teach forgiveness?

If people actually practiced what they preached, we'd be in a much better place locally and globally.

[ETSpoon]

So where was Mr. Ziegler and his righteous indignation when Don Imus called the Rutgers' women basketball team "nappy headed ho's?"

[not-humble-enough]

So Ziegler has written a book about how Palin got bad press while he appears to be staggeringly unaware of how Plain and her supports (e.g., Ziegler) cause bad press. IT figures - if he were aware he couldn't write the book.

That is as it should be. Were I someone trying to sabotage the Palin "campaign" for president in 2012 or whenever I'd have her and her supporters do exactly what they are doing. Its hard not to chortle. It's hard to find a reason to suppress chortling.

If Letterman erred and should be sanctioned or fired by CBS the reason would be his going beyond the bounds of taste, going so far beyond that he deserved such punishment. That's a taste-centered issue, not a Palin-centered issue. Palin and Ziegler are doing a superb job of showing how remote from taste Palin and her supporters are themselves. Of course that's as obvious as would be full face makeup on a pig and was just as obvious prior to this Letterman-joke-faked-outrage.

[Mark @ News Corpse]

Palin used her kids as campaign props from the start. Now it's obvious the Palin contingent is more interested in an issue than in an apology. This is further proof that that is the only thing they were ever interested in.

[Marvin8]

The Right Wingnut GOP Nazis are up to it again. I say CRUSH THEM!!!!!!

[Walter H. Euler, Sr.]

David Letterman is a total ignorant idiot. He has no manners whatsoever. He should just be kicked off the airwaves, period. Walter.

[Tyler Durden]

Moral outrage about her daughter who has a kid out of wedlock and the father won't even tie the knot.

[Christopher Lowry]

Uhm, are you serious? I don't understand how people can take a JOKE and make it into a life-changing statement. Mr. Letterman realized that he made a mistake and was probably misinformed about some of the details (as to which daughter attended the game) and has made a public statement to ensure we know his fault. You want to get this man fired?! You will be able to sleep better at night knowing that you helped to create enough ruckus to get a classic talk show host fired after YEARS of debateable yet humorous material? Well, you repulse me more than David's 5-second joke. I suggest you whiners find a better cause to live for than defending a washed-up female politician from Alaska and her children. Try focusing on the everyday children that actually DO get raped instead of a joke about a wealthy one that probably (hopefully) never will.

[David Pham]

Get a freaking life !!! The Palin supporters would not be smart enough to understand David Letterman's jokes anyway ... Go back to your Hate radio, and your Right wing propaganda Rush Limbaugh's circus freak show...!!
Go ahead ... boycott the show that you don't watch anyway .. boycott the media company CBS that you hated anyway ... just go way ...you stupid stupid people

[Amy]

Do people have nothing better to do? This is so blown out of proportion..get a life people.

[yumikosan]

Let me get this: This is a country of free speech. Everyone believes that. But if I don't like what you say, I want you punished to the full extent of whatever punishment is handy, up to and even beyond boiling in the hot oil of unemployment.

And Jesus said: Forgive those that trespass against you!!!

[mark]

don imus?

[NPS]

Funny that we never see those from the "Right side of the spectrum" in public roles (announcers at Fox News, Radio Talk Show Hosts from the Right, etc) EVER fired for their continual lying, moronic views and plain degrading lanquage about "Left leaning" Americans.

Yet that same group is all over getting Letterman fired.

Get a grip folks; Since the right isn't running the county they need something to rally behind and Palin is the Queen of getting people to rally around her. The FoxNews watching crowd is big - but we're bigger - we proved that in the last election... So take your energy for this idiotic Palin grandstanding and do something really constructive ; like go help those in need in your community, volunteer your time - I guess that would never happen ; can't get these people away from a day of FoxNews.

[Evenhofer]

When Palin allowed her daughter to become a "celebrity"... her 18 year old promiscuous daughter ... she declared her as an open target. Palin used her children and now does not want to belly up to the bar and pay the price of a public life. In numerous interviews this week Palin continually repeated half truths and innuendos as she did throughout her campaign. She had a point about it being inappropriate, but she totally lost her direction and did not bring it home.

David Letterman, you rock. You have repeatedly stood up to clarify yourself and to apologize. You are definately my late night man... you are so above Palin's half baked attempts at publicity... just let it blow by... as she will eventually dissapear from the public eye with the wind.

[Andrew]

Sarah Palin has started a tirade on a joke that she DID NOT EVEN GET. She is just trying to get publicity, but doing so by promoting censorship, which would be a BIG step backwards for the U.S. at this time. Its been typical for Republicans to stir up nonsense to SMOKESCREEN REAL AMERICAN CONCERNS. Just watch Fox News for 5 minutes to substantiate that. This fained outrage is an outright ploy

If she wishes to be involved in American politics she should be more professional about it. This whole ploy simply demonstrates once again that Sarah Pailn is NOT cut out to be a leader in this country, and her inarticulate nature is once again on full embarrassing display. It is part and parcel for our leaders to receive jabs from Late Night talk show hosts. Once again, she is wasting our time.

I hope Palin does run against Obama in the next election, the contrast of intelligence, being articulate, in touch and being authoritative will be so startling that it will be its own new joke, one that Sarah Pailin will likely also not get...

Regards,
Andrew

[myturnagain]

It is absolutely infuriating that Palin and her supporters can get away with this after the odious and frequently obnoxious and self-righteous "you betchas" we were bombarded with along with jokes about hockey moms and pittbulls during the election. Sarah Palin, the Republicans and their supporters in my view have absolutely zero credibility or rights to any kind of indignation or claims to moral outrage. There are too many of us who have not forgotten how this country was raped and dragged through the mud for the last 8 years. And how she and her ilk stopped at nothing with no blow to low to derail the Obama campaign with as much mud as they could sling. So pardon me if I don't have too much sympathy for her.

[Walt Bailey]

Give it a rest people! it was a joke just like Palin's chances of being president!