It's okay, the president went on Letterman

The Middle East is a disaster, and then there's this bit of statistical reality:

Click to enlarge/view.

Never fear America, your president appeared on David Letterman's show.  All is well.  Nothing to see here. These are not the droids statistics you are looking for.

Mobile Post: Why Letterman's Confession Matters

Do I care about David Letterman's confession last night on his show? Normally I would say no, even though there was apparently an attempted blackmail connected to it.

Dave is an entertainer. I don't care about his unprofessional antics or his personal life. I don't care about his show. I've watched it. It can be funny and it can be dull. The point is there is no reason to care about it or him.

But - this is the same man who, prior to his apology took glee in tearing down one of Sarah Palin's daughters. That's something that should have been well out of bounds but it wasn't.

I take no glee in Letterman's confession. But, everyone who listens to him should consider the source of the jabs he gives out. And if he had any decency he would reconsider his barbs. Then again if he had any decency he wouldn't have made those "jokes" in the first place.

David Letterman is a tool, but...

He's apologized to Sarah Palin and her family twice now for his uncouth attack on her daughter, whichever one he 'really' meant to attack. He took ownership of the mistake. He seems contrite. David Letterman is still a tool.

While his words were morally reprehensible, he's more a tool of the Democratic party than a tool as a human being. He's a liberal, and thinks conservatives are fair game while liberals seem to be off limits.

BUT...

he does have the right to say stupid and vulgar stuff. What he said was not an FCC violation.

Does he deserve to lose his job? Well, those who are demanding his resignation do have the right to speak their minds as well. I don't know if he deserves to be fired. Maybe. Perhaps he's learned his lesson and really is sorry for what he did. Maybe not.

Don Imus last year got in trouble for comments and was fired for it. He offended African Americans and women and was lambasted for it by the likes of Reverend Al Sharpton. There is no weighting of one offense versus another. But Don Imus apologized and was contrite as well. He's back at work.

Free Speech - it's in the Constitution. By that logic, Letterman is free to speak offensively. Then again, while it's not in the Constitution, actions have consequences, and words matter. If there are enough protests and he loses his job over it, then it's what the natural consequences are for his off-color comments.

Either way, David Letterman has learned, or needs to learn, that some things are beyond the pale. He needs to remember that he's an entertainer, not a political speaker. He needs to remember to keep his personal political bias aside when coming up with jokes. He needs to remember to stick to Stupid Pet Tricks and the like. If he can't remember those things, then he needs to move on, even if it requires a nudge.

From a personal perspective, I dislike Letterman's politics, I think he can be funny at times, and I don't think he needs to be fired because he realized his mistake, took ownership and apologized sincerely - even if it took 2 tries to get it right. Maybe I'm just a softy.