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Video: Dave Tries To Smooth Things Over With Palin Posse
By
Billy Parker
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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By
Billy Parker
Published Jun 11, 2009
Modified Jun 11, 2009
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If someone woke up from a nine-month slumber last night around midnight, having them tune into The Late Show probably would have been a good way to ease them back into their new present. There was good old Dave, in the midst of a public feud with one-half of the McCain-Palin ticket, spending a good eight minutes of his nightly broadcast dedicated to butting heads in classic Letterman style: dry, detached and feigning ignorance.
But nine months later things are a little different—now it's Sarah Palin that Letterman is sparring with. The trouble began when Letterman first raised Palin's ire by making a joke in which he referred to her "slutty flight attendant" look. From there, his jokes got a little racier and used her daughter as a punchline—one about A-Rod trying to impregnate her and another about keeping Eliot Spitzer away from her during the Alaska Governor's trip to New York.
But it was 14-year-old Willow who accompanied her parents during this Empire State jaunt. When Palin caught wind of that, she responded, "Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is not only disgusting...(it) contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others." Letterman claimed he was joking about the 18-year-old Bristol Palin, "I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don't think it's funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn't put it in a joke."
And while the clip finds Letterman wishing that the Palins come back to New York and work it all out with him face-to-face, Palin is telling the host not to hold his breath. The Palin spokesperson added, "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." Burn notice.
And Verne Gay of Newsday says, "While Dave often makes a joke of getting current events hopefully wrong or twisted, the joke's implication to anyone who followed that day's news was that this WAS the 14-year old and not the 18-year old he was talking about."
Tagged
Bristol Palin
david letterman
late night tv
sarah palin
teenagers
the late show
Willow Palin
Billy Parker
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