On a side note, I would like to offer an apology to those that frequent this board to read and comment strictly on TV-related topics. Although it was initially my intent to just comment on the Letterman-Palin issue, I do admit that I went off on quite a tangent. In hindsight, I realize that this was probably not the proper place to post my opinion - in its entirety. I know I would be agitated if a newbie went this far off topic on one of my message boards. For that, I apologize.

I do, however, stand by my opinion.

Many have mentioned that the joke was tasteless. Palin just blew it all out of proportion mentioning rape and such. It seemed ultra-obvious that she did so to her own advantage.

By the way, Scott, keep drinking the Kool-Aid. All Palin supporters are uneducated idiots. Right.

For your information, I happen to have an IQ in the mentally gifted range. How about you? That's what I thought.

How come everyone is missing the point? The fact that he meant the joke to be about her 18-year-old daughter does not make it better. The girl made a mistake. She slept with her (teenage) boyfriend and got pregnant. Now, she's taking responsibility for the life she created. This does not make her or her mother a hypocrite. Teenagers make mistakes. We all made our share when we were young, too. You can't hold Sarah Palin responsible because her daughter didn't follow the values she was taught. How many of you have turned away from the values your parents taught you?

The bottom line is, he was insinuating that this teenage girl, because she made a mistake, that makes her a whore. Nice message. How would any of you like that said about your daughter? Or you? I don't think this means he should be fired, because we have the right to free speech in this country. But it's ridiculous for anyone to say that his comment was either funny or appropriate, or that Sarah Palin should not have been upset by it.

Its clear that the idiot Palin supporters and right-wing nut-jobs are only going to listen to the story that Palin and her media spinsters are selling - they aren't going to let a little thing like facts or common sense stand in the way of their rage.

On the other hand, most of us had no idea that Palin and more than one daughter (after all, who'd sleep with the Mrs. Palin once, let alone a second time). Not being a Palin supporter, I didn't hang on her every word or watch ever news clip about her. However, with the way she whored her knocked-up, underage daughter around on the campaign trail (which makes no sense at all considering that Bristol was living proof that Palin's abstinence-only stance doesn't work), I couldn't help but be aware of the fact that she had a pregnant, unwed daughter. Furthermore, most of us, once again, that don't follow Palin in the news, had no idea that anyone accompanied her to New York.

Furthermore, Dave's staff even checked to make sure the daughter (the joke was about) was 18. Dave has a 29 year track record to fall back on that speaks to his intent and credibility. What does Palin's track record tell us? Oh yeah, she's the one that dragged her pregnant daughter and her baby-daddy around on the campaign trail. She also didn't lift a finger to stop the police department from billing rape victims, in her town (when she was mayor), for the forensics tests needed to prosecute their attackers. In other words, Palin will do anything for publicity and nothing to protect women/children.

Now, ANYONE that fabricates the link between the knocked-up joke and a 14 year-old daughter (that most of us didn't know she had), is a pervert and should seek psychiatric help immediately. The most logical conclusion is that a joke about getting knocked-up is about someone that has been knocked-up. Its that ever-so-slight air of believability that makes the joke funny.

It is obvious that Letterman's humor has always been geared to those of higher intelligence - so I understand why many Palin supporters didn't find this joke funny. I, however, along with the shooting rats from the helicopter joke, found it hilarious.

For his "apology" to be considered an apology doesn't the words "I'm sorry" or "I apologize" need to be part of the response.

He didn't apologize, he made an excuse for himself, and a lame one at that.

So since Obama's daughter is 12 years old we can expect to hear Dave do rape jokes about her in 2 years.

and now drama momma is saying he is a pedaphile, she is a loony. if she doesn't want her kids to get all the media attention she needs to stop feeding on it like a voulture. She has offered up her kids and now crys because the media took her bait. People are compareing her kids to Obama's and other "president's" kids. Well she is not president we don't need any information other than a cute peek her or there, she parades them like prized props, and then uses them to promt drama for more attention. Letterman was out of line, he said he was sorry. She needs to stop eating it up like candy for drama

Sy, most people did understand the context of the joke. Letterman made it it plain to everyone the next night that he was NOT referring to the 14 year old. I got the joke. I certainly knew who he was talking about. Was it in poor taste? Yes, but it is nighttime TV. That happens. Was he guilty of not doing his homework to make sure the 18 year old was there? Yes. For Palin to insist it WAS the younger daughter and to conveniently bring the rape word into it just to prolong her miserable 15 minutes shocks me more than anything Letterman said. She'd accomplish more by making sure her 14 year old doesn't make the same bad decisions her 18 year old did.

it was a joke people just a stupid joke dave tells many stupid jokes night after night, the weird thing is a-rod is not asking him to apologize for alleging he would fuck a teen. Palin is also a moron for preaching christian values in the first place when her was fucking levi johnston, and for believing in an invisible god in the sky in the first place.