Letterman-Palin Story Is Grossly Overblown

CLEVELAND - In today's media-filled, Internet everywhere world, everything gets over reported, mega sensationalized and overreacted to. The current public outcry against comedian and talk-show host David Letterman is no different.

Will this story please go away?

Letterman, 62 has been under a maelstrom of controversy for over a week now as a result of a "tasteless" joke he told about Governor Sarah Palin's daughter last week during one of his opening monologues on The Late Show with David Letterman. In the joke, the legendary host referenced a New York Yankees game that the governor attended with her daughter.

Letterman joked that Palin's daughter got knocked up during the game by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, a comment that has since appalled and disgusted many. As it turns out, Palin was at the game with her 14-year old daughter Willow as opposed to her 18-year old daughter Bristol, who recently gave birth to a child out of wedlock. Letterman apologized, tongue-in-cheek twice last week, then gave a long and more serious mea culpa last night on his show. He has maintained that he incorrectly believed he was telling the joke about the older daughter as opposed to the minor child.

Of course, the holier-than-thou mentality of Sarah Palin has taken center stage since the incident. She has repudiated, denounced and vilified Letterman in the press and has insinuated that he perpetuates sexual abuse of children. She's accused him of making a crude and perverted joke about a child on purpose and has said he's "not to be trusted" around her daughter.

Um, okay.

Palin's righteous indignation is sickening. As a parent, I totally understand her anger and outrage and even though I cross the line into crude and immoral territory constantly on my web series, songs and books, I get that Letterman's humor was over-the-line in this case. It isn't cause to label him as being morally corrupt or a dangerous child sexual predator. It was an error in judgement by a man who has made his living as a comic for some 30 years. In all that time, anyone is bound to have a few foot-in-the-mouth moments.

One of CBS' sponsors have pulled their advertising. There are organizations in place that are calling for Letterman to be fired from his 27-year hosting gig. Really? This is truly not that serious; Don Imus' 2007 misstep was in-line with who he had been for decades. It represented his character and public persona.

This incident is in no way representative of Letterman's character. It doesn't make it right, but it should count for a lot. The man apologized and his offense was certainly not egregious.

Let's be done with this and move on.