It's Jay Leno's new 'Tonight Show' starring Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin popped up on Jay Leno's revived NBC "Tonight Show" tonight and poked a little fun at herself by writing Jay's introduction cue notes on her hand. (See video below.)

The pair, both of whom have taken hits in the media in recent weeks, talked amiably about a wide variety of issues. Here are some:

On the media's treatment of her children:

I think, yes, that a line was crossed  there. And I'm still waiting for that line to be uncrossed. Just some common decency, allowing the kids to not be the -- I guess kind of a victim in all this, because they certainly don't deserve it. I have very strong, independent, well-adjusted kids.  And I so respected that the media had left other politicians' kids alone. I would just ask for the same treatment.

On the Tea Party movement:

It is an uprising of the people -- (Applause)  -- an uprising of the people to say, "Hey, Government,  we are not to be working for you.  You are to be  working for us. Let's get government back on our side."  So heaven forbid the Tea Party movement think that they need an individual, a politician to put their faith in, to be their leader.

On campaigning for John McCain:

I stood by his side, wanting Americans to vote for him as our President. Of course I'm going to stand by his side as he runs for reelection in the great state of Arizona. He is an American hero, and I think he is fighting for Americans harder today than many of us had seen for many, many years. He's what we need.

Palin also did her debut standup routine as a comedian: 

Hello. Thank you, Jay. Thank you.  I'm  so happy to get to be here.  This is a thrill of....

________________________________________

...a lifetime really. And Alaska, being so different from Los Angeles. Here when people have a frozen look on their face, I find out it's Botox.  (Laughter.)

It is so beautiful here, though, so warm and beautiful. Back home, ooh, it was freezing. It was 5 degrees belowCongress' approval rating.....

Shaun White on the show. Oh, what an amazing athlete. I watched him do a double McTwist 1260, and the only other people to do a double McTwist 1260 was last week: the White House on healthcare.

She'll be here through 2012, folks.

Related item:

Mitt Romney warns Letterman that Sarah Palin is armed

-- Andrew Malcolm

So this former governor walks into a bar... Click here to receive Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And our Facebook FAN page is right here.

Photo: NBC / The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Comments

[sandra in oregon]

The writing was on her right hand. Someone else did it.

[Uffda]

sandrainoregon is a Trig Truther. Just an FYI. :)

[JR]

Of course someone else did it, it was a JOKE. Think that she really needed to...oh, nevermind. *sigh*

[james]

don't you know that she is left handed, like about 80% of all Presidents...

[Bob]

I don't think so but you might be right...

Update: I just noticed that when I google Sandra in Oregon " Trig Truther" comes up. What's that? I know what 9/11 truthers are but I am not aware of this new term.

[kate]

On the Tonight Show, Sarah Palin called an episode of the Family Guy "lame" because she felt it had portrayed mentally disabled children in an unfair or inappropriate way. It seems ironic that she would use this term, so often used as a slur against individuals with physical disabilities, to cast a television show in a negative light. This is not only hypocritical, but also deeply disappointing as it comes from an individual masquerading as a moral voice in American politics.

[amor y paws]

Watching Palin is like watching a bad accident--you can't help but wanting to see how bad it is. Why, Jay, why?

[Jesse Cornish]

So what if someone else did write it, Sandra?

[Sasha]

Nope. She's ambidextrious.

[Mrsbeaska]

I love Sarah Palin and Shaun White but I really was looking forward to hearing Adam Lambert sing. What we got was an abbreviated version of one of my favorite songs "Sleepwalker." Adam is a phenomenal singer and deserves more airtime than a 30 second song. He got more airtime when he was a contestant on American Idol. Adam is not your typical American Idol, he's much more. He deserves the respect of letting him sing a song in its entirety.

[Banjo]

I'm starting to like the woman.

[Harold]

Leno was not much of a host to Palin. Well, Leno is not Johnny Carson by any stretch and his monologues are nothing more these days than a handful of crude jokes. Its almost like Palin did Leno (McCain) a favor.

[Truth]

"She'll be here through 2012, folks."

You betcha!

[Mike Constitution]

Sarah Palin is a real woman with real accomplishments. She runs a commercial fishing company with her husband. She earned her election as Alaska's Governor on her own by defeating entrenched big money Republicans.

Compared to the fraud in the White House that the media fooled the American people into electing, she is 100 times the person he is. He has never earned, accomplished, built, or created anything. He is a classic parasite on our society and was thrust before us as the face of reasonable socialism.

He and his fellow America haters want to destroy the liberty and free enterprise that made America the greatest county in history. People like Palin and great Americans of the Tea Party movement are going to stop them and force the country back to its Constitutional roots and the American vision of maximum individual liberty and minimal government.

[Aquinnah]

Sarah Palin telling Jay Leno that she accepted the Fox gig to promote fairness and balance is like Charlie Rangel selling himself as the poster boy for congressional ethics. Talk about flunking the straight-face test!

[JayP]

sandra in oregon is your typical 'Oregonian' Lib. Oregon has turned into basically Southern Cal 'lite' and is why I moved away a few years ago. Trig Truthers are nutbags. Period.

[mom58]

one more thing
Palin can speak from the heart
Obummber cannot, he does not know how
and if he did
we would really know what lies there
leftist ideas from Alinsky and Jeremiah Wright

[Jeff from Miami Limo]

When is Sara Palin going to go away? I'm so sick of her!

[kathie yoder]

The day I saw that Leno was hosting our half-term governor was the last day that I will ever tune in the Tonight Show. I'm sorry you felt the need to extend this fraud's 15 minutes of fame even another second.

[watches gift]

good

[dave]

"On the Tonight Show, Sarah Palin called an episode of the Family Guy "lame" because she felt it had portrayed mentally disabled children in an unfair or inappropriate way. It seems ironic that she would use this term, so often used as a slur against individuals with physical disabilities, to cast a television show in a negative light. This is not only hypocritical, but also deeply disappointing as it comes from an individual masquerading as a moral voice in American politics."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lame
"1.crippled or physically disabled, esp. in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.
2.impaired or disabled through defect or injury: a lame arm.
3.weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy: a lame excuse."

It's not ironic (maybe I should link to the wiki page on irony, since so many people can't get that right), nor is the word "lame" a slur. She used the word in the correct manner.

[Suck it up Crybaby]

Funny and refreshing she was on the Leno show. She can make fun of herself unlike our fearless leader President Obama. People that make fun of her have their own insecurity issues to deal with. Week men are threatened by her. She is strong, smart, successful, intact family, one husband, anti abortion and very hot.
www.suckitupcrybaby.com

[Eric]

Go Sarah!
2012

[bobc59]

I have watched Jay leno for years I was so glad that you, amongst all the turmoil you still came back to you original format, but Sara Palin was the 1st one that Jay did not give a cup to! "Whas Up with that Jay" After that little stunt, I doubt that I'll eva watch your show again, I always thought you were a square shooter Jay I really missed you at the "LATE NITE SPOT" but now I just "dunno" maybe you can splain why Sara did not get a cup

NUFF SAID
BOB

[DMac8889]

Finally an article without the spin. Every article on this event on the internet starts with a disclaimer of non-approval: "I don't like her, but", "I don't want her close to the White House" but, "Leno and Palin play with the truth." It is really tiring to see articles use her name just to set up another daily attack on her. Is it too much to read an unbiased reaction to what was just simple entertainment.

Did Sarah use the Tonight show to show off a little of her personality? OMG did that really happen? Jay Leno needed Sarah more than she needed him and the 5 million plus viewers, only indicated that she has the potential to actually host the show some day. How many politicians can you say that about? Palin is different. She approaches the political class from a different direction.

I can't fathom the true reasons for the Palin Derangement Syndrome that affects every blog on the internet, daily. I only know I would never spend my time racing to a blog site about Hillary Clinton to debase her. She is a dishonest crook in my eyes, but I don't feel the need to repeat it every day.

The media and those that write a well displayed blog has to be honest to themselves. They attach Sarah Palin's name to their network or blog, because she draws attention. She is way past the 15 minutes of fame, delusional bloggers keep hoping for. She is forever in our cultural lexicon regardless how you feel about her. You will get a big argument whether the Beatles were the best Rock n' Roll Band ever, but they will never go away.

What makes this article stand out, it is a least honest: "She'll be here past 2012 folks." I actually read that as another disclaimer. She'll be here way past that. Some like chocolate, some like vanilla, some like other flavors. Sarah Palin is a flavor many people like