12th
They’re both wrong. Let’s start with Letterman…
a) BOTH of Letterman’s jokes crossed the line.
b) Yes, Sarah Palin is a public official & should be subject to public criticism / jokes, BUT she is also the sitting Governor of Alaska and deserves more respect in this instance
b) Show me one picture in which Sarah Palin is dressed in a “slutty” manner. That was offensive and uncalled for, plain and simple.
c) Whether he was talking about the 14 yr old or the 18 yr old is irrelevant. Either way it’s offensive and just wrong.
d) His supposed “apology” was arrogant and didn’t go far enough. A more humble and sincere apology is needed. No, he should not be fired. Don’t be ridiculous.
As for Palin
a) She reached WAY too far. To me it seems obvious that Letterman was referencing 18 yr old Bristol and not 14 yr old Willow. As The Week magazine suggested, “he (Letterman) didn’t notice or care which daughter actually attended the Yankees game with Sarah Palin on her New York trip, because Letterman was out to insult the conservative Alaska governor, not her daughters.”
b) Her statement in reaction to Letterman’s “apology” went TOO far
Statement:
The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show. Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman.
Let me get this right. She wants to Keep Willow away from David Letterman as if he’s some kind of sexual predator??? Oh C’mon. Her lame, evasive attempt to defend this comment to Matt Lauer this morning just further undermined & eroded any goodwill she’d earned via this episode.
IN CONCLUSION: David Letterman needs to offer a REAL apology for crossing the line. There are better ways to showcase his obvious hatred of Sarah Palin without resorting to derogatory comments.
Sarah Palin was right to defend her children and hopefully she will stick by her (correct) decision not to appear on Letterman’s show. On the other hand, Sarah Palin needs to learn how to play “smart” politics with these situations and not overreach like she clearly did in this case. She could have hit this out of the park and gained sympathy from those disinclined to give it to her. Instead, she swung for the fences and got caught at the warning track.
