Sarah Palin: Lambastes David Letterman over daughter 'rape' joke

Sarah Palin: Lambastes David Letterman over daughter 'rape' joke

Former Republican presidential running mate Sarah Palin has ramped up her conflict with US talk show host David Letterman on Friday for slamming remarks by the comic concerning her fourteen year old daughter.

Earlier this week David Letterman has angered Sarah Palin after making a joke during his late-night chat show about the recent attendance of Alaska Governor with her family at a New York Yankees baseball match.

The joke, which referred to Palin's daughter being "knocked up" by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during the match, thereby triggering one week-long war of words between Sarah Palin and David Letterman.

On Friday Palin gave the indication that she was in no mood to end the clash, telling NBC's Today program Letterman had "crossed a line."

"It was a degrading comment about a young woman and I would hope that people start really rising up in deciding it's not acceptable," added Palin.

She continued, "No wonder young girls especially have such low self esteem in America when we think it's funny for a so-called comedian to make such a remark."

Sarah Palin had earlier this week decried the joke as "inappropriate" and "sexually perverted", by saying it contributed "to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others."

The husband of Sarah Palin Todd chimed in that “any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable.”

On Wednesday David Letterman acknowledged the gag as "cheap" and in "poor taste" . However it is said  that it was directed at Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol, whose teen pregnancy became a talking point during last year's election campaign.

"I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex with a 14-year-old girl. Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes," added sixty two year old Letterman.

On Thursday a spokesperson  for Palin gave the response  by saying that there was no chance of the Republican icon accepting an invitation to appear on Letterman's show. She said, "It would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."

When being asked if that comment was suggesting that Letterman could "not be trusted around a 14-year-old", Palin replied, "Take it the way you want to take it. It's from the heart."