Couric explains 'the' Sarah Palin interviews, but Letterman wants dirt

Message to Ticket readers planning to guest on late-night talk shows: Never go there expecting to explain anything serious.

Yes, they're taped in the late afternoon when some thoughtful exchanges are theoretically possible.

But they're broadcast late at night, when folks are nodding off or about to, especially the older crowd watching CBS.

So it's mainly about the yuks. (And, it turns out, what or who turns David Letterman on.)

And if it's the Letterman show and involves Republicans, it's all about relentless revenge for John McCain standing up the big star that night last fall.

And choosing instead to do an interview with Katie Couric, who, coincidentally, Dave just had as his guest to talk about her famous or infamous interviews with Alaska Gov. and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. (See video by clicking on the "Read more" line below.)

David's been reading the new "Charlie Rose Guide to Guest-Interrupting." Couric kept trying to explain the Palin case and ...

... smiled noncommittally like a professional news person who wants no extant film clips of her expressing an opinion.

Despite the interruptions, she still managed to shed some light on the interviews that so sank Palin in the minds of many -- that she didn't read a newspaper (Couric suspects she didn't want to admit reading the New York Times), etc.

It turns out, by Couric's account, the McCain campaign was "tremendous, very generous" with its access to Palin. How smart were they, eh? And it was the same McCain campaign people who suggested the CBS anchor interview Palin during her high-profile visits with foreign leaders at the United Nations.

Apparently, the campaign did not anticipate this would open for interrogation the entire area of foreign affairs, hardly the forte of any state governor, which Couric admits.

The CBS anchor revealed she did not use tape of Palin or Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden answering the important policy question: What do you miss most while campaigning?

Palin's answer: Daily running outdoors in Alaska. Biden's: Being chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

At the end of the video below, in case you were wondering, Letterman, always the gentleman, admits that Gov. Palin is the first vice presidential candidate he's ever become "aroused about."

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Rosa]

What a shame that we still have commentators as
Letterman, old and decrepit and full of hate vs. women on TV. He must retire and would do the U.S. a favor. On the other hand to see Couric and well known libero-radical-communiest get together with the old man is sickening. She should remember that she is a woman and disrespected all American women with her interview on Sarah Palin. Palin is a real lady. Maybe Couric was envious????

[Mary Kay Lady]

Letterman's such a dirty old man. Is Cialis an unofficial sponsor now?

[cal godot]

No sense of humor, eh?

[Octavia]

Katie Couric is the worst kind of woman--she's the hateful insecure kind that believe every other attractive woman is competition and feels she must do everything she can to humiliate them in order to elevate herself. When have you ever seen Katie interview a man and repeatedly try to stump and/or interrogate him to irrelevant questions as she did with Palin? When she interviews men, Katie's interviews consist almost entirely of awkward flirting and giggling on her part. She's a disgrace to the female gender, and it's shocking that CBS would hire someone so biased and unprofessional.

[MissButterfly]

I never watch Letterman because of his mean sarcasm, and this clip illustrates it very well. I can't imagine anybody actually enjoying/watching his show.

[Greg]

Typical sophomoric tripe from the low class Letterman. He is neither funny or entertaining!

[Franky]

Hopefully this extremists will soon ride (a moose) off in to the sunset.

Palin's ignorance and hate should have no place in american politics.

[Glynn]

Katie Couric is a has-been. She needs to move on along. She was jealous because Palin is way prettier than Katie ever could be. Jealousy is an ugly thing.

[TiminPhx]

Letterman has actually passed Robin Williams on the List of "Celebs, Once Funny, But Please, Please Just Go Away Now."

He is just trying to kiss up to the leftist in Hollywood and his ego has yet to recover from Leno getting the Tonight Show gig.

He is a mean spirited, petty little man now.

[malclave]

>Letterman, always the gentleman, admits that Gov. Palin
>is the first vice presidential candidate he's ever
>become "aroused about."

Well, Chris Matthews revealed that men in the media were "aroused about" Obama... the "tingle". It would be interesting to learn what other Presidential candidates sexually arouse people like Letterman.

[Clayton]

Couric is another one of those women who Can't Understand Natural Thinking.

Who watches Letterman besides non-thinkers who listen to his drivel.

[kimMn]

Octavia writes

Katie Couric is the worst kind of woman--

When have you ever seen Katie interview a man and repeatedly try to stump and/or interrogate him to irrelevant questions as she did with Palin?

This statement is so laughable. The way everyone is so willing to cry around and make excuses for palin. The only thing Katies interveiw did was reveal what an idiot Sarah Palin actually is. Thank God the american people watched and Realized before it was to late that we would have a joke in the white house had John McCain and Palin been elected. What would she have done if she had been elected....I could hear you all now. Whining along side of Palin about other world leaders asking her hard, trick questions had she gotten in. LOL....If She couldnt take the heat she should have stayed out of the kitchen. Sarah palin has absolutely NOOOO Substance. She was an embrassment to John McCains Camp... The american people spoke and she is now back where she belongs. Alaska.... My heart goes out to you who have her running your State... It wont be long you all will be able to rid yourself of her to...

[Ol' Whip]

I don't really understand the venom directed at Couric. My impression of the interview was the she pretty much kept to softball questions and Palin struggled to answer them.

Com'on, it's not like Katie Couric is some hard edged journalist in the vein of a Cronkite or Murrow.

[Tom]

Dave is such an old fa*t now. He's not very funny.

Sarah could do way better than Dave. Imagine Dave taking care of Trig the way Todd does.

He probably has 3 nannies to do all the real work.

He's a wuss. Real men can handle taking care of a baby.

[Will]

What is hateful about Palin? two heavily edited videos sank her reputation.

[Bryan]

Oh, please. Couric "disrespected" women with her interview? Letterman "hates" women? No and no.

Some people love to feel angry and offended. Some people need to learn to relax and enjoy life.

[bridgette]

All David Letterman is worried about is getting dirt on Sarah Palin or apparently getting aroused by her. Come on dude, really?Dirty old man.

[Andrea]

Letterman asked the questions we were all dying to hear. When he does he is a sexist? Palin is her own problem. Stop blaming others for telling the truth.

[Cletus VanDamme]

Typical hypocrite liberals guffawing at Sarah Palin not (in their opinion) being able to answer Couric's "tough questions". At least she made herself available to be asked "tough questions" quite unlike Barack "Messiah of the Left" Obama. He hid behind his teleprompter.

[JOHN LONGENECKER]

About The Comments Above

Folks must be paid to travel throughout the Internet to find places to write idiotic comments that hurt individuals.

[Sally Sue123]

Katie actually sticks up for Palin and tries not to laugh at Letterman's crude jokes. The questions that she asked should have been answered by any VP candidate, but if Palin didn't know the answers she should have admitted it. She still doesn't admit that she needs to learn more about the world before being a "heart beat" away from or g*d forbid the leader of the country. She is a breath of fresh air and very likable, but she needs to humble herself, learn from her mistakes and not plow through doors that she thinks may be cracked open. I hope she concentrates on Alaska's issues, does an excellent job at that, learns about the world and comes back to run in 2016. I don't agree with her on most issues, but I think she has great potential to be a part in another entertaining election.

[lisa]

Lol some people on her (I'm presuming women) come out with these feminist rantings about how harsh everyone is on Palin, and then say that Couric is being harsh on Palin cos she's just jealous of how pretty she is? Yeah, way to not make your own gender sound pathetic and petty. Palin is an idiot. She didn't win. She never will. Get over it.

[calvin]

Its interesting how quickly comments become flat out personal attacks...

Tom writes:
"Dave is such an old fa*t now
He's a wuss. Real men can handle taking care of a baby."

I'm confused as to what this has, if anything, to do with Sarah Palin's complete naivety when it comes to the world of politics. Katie did the world a serious favor by conducting that interview, Palin's comments were laughable...as are the lengths people go to defending her.

[Steve]

Yes, Dave...
We out here in flyover country don't read. We're all so ignorant, stupid, and bereft of any knowledge of the real world you call New York. Because we don't read the New York Slimes, we're ignorant. What an elitist snob!!! Perhaps there's more to this country than what New Yorkers think??? Stupid old imbicile!!!

[Colorado]

Katie Couric sucks and needs to be fired from CBS. Apparenlty more people spend time paying attention to Sarah Palin than they do watching her nightly news program. Check the numbers!!!

[AMike]

The Couric interview was intellectual froth - Katie asked no questions of substance, just looked for something she could trip Sarah up on, or put an anti-Sarah spin on. Couric's career was already on the downward spiral - pandering to the one-eyed anti-Palin crowd will get her a few more months of attention, then her career will sink right back where it was headed before.

[susan]

Hadn't we have enough of this??? Election is over and we all should concentrate in finding solutions for the huge problems we have ...and leave this "show" behind us.