After being canceled on by John McCain, CBS late night talk show host David Letterman lit into the GOP presidential candidate in a ten-minute rant on Wednesday's show.
Letterman had originally been scheduled to host McCain on his program but the Arizona senator canceled at the last minute. Letterman claimed McCain had said he was needed back in Washington to help with economic negotiations. He then cut to a live feed from CBS News which showed McCain being made-up for an appearance on Katie Couric's "Evening News."
How the left-leaning comedian got access to that feed has provoked some controversy within CBS with one news division executive saying that had Letterman had that stunt pulled on him, someone would have been fired for it.
Asked if CBS officials had a problem with Letterman using the internal news feed, a spokeswoman for "The Evening News" refused to address the issue.
But several CBS News executives - who asked not to be identified - said that the stunt did not go down well within the news division.
"If we had done something like that to him, someone around here would end up getting fired," one said.
News officials found out Letterman was using the internal feed shortly after it showed up on an internal CBS feed carrying the "Late Show" taping.
"They were pretty aggravated," a CBS News source told The Post.
"But they were not about to start a fight with Letterman," the source said. "We're in the middle of a heavy, heavy news cycle and Letterman is Letterman.
"He does whatever he wants and always has."
Paradoxically, even though his featured guest was leftist Keith Olbermann (see Brent Baker's summary of that segment), Letterman's rant was by far the most vituperative segment of the show.
Reached after the blowup a McCain spokeswoman said the senator "felt this wasn't a night for comedy," but could it really be that to McCain getting on Couric's "Evening News" actually was a better idea from a ratings standpoint?
Despite the fact that Couric's show is a distant third in the nightly news race, she's still pulling down much better numbers than Letterman who earlier this summer finished with a 0.9 rating in adults 18-49, the lowest ever in the history of his program.
—Matthew Sheffield is the creator of NewsBusters and its Executive Editor.
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Glad some are angered at
September 26, 2008 - 13:16 ET by bigtimerGlad some are angered at CBS...glad some are a wee bit disgruntled....
So do something about it!
Try the four letter word....
Fire....
.... him.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
The arrogance of the TV
September 26, 2008 - 13:18 ET by HelenSThe arrogance of the TV pigs never ceases to amaze me. I really don't understand how on earth Letterman thinks his ire or his time matters.
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." - Paul (Rom. 13:1)
"L" stand for Letterman and "Loser"...
September 26, 2008 - 13:34 ET by goldenthroatWhat a pathetic, sorry excuse for a human being and a late night TV host! This was nothing short of a calculated manipulation to diss McCain. Isn't it interesting that Jay Leno not only had McCain on a few weeks ago but the audience went wild when he came on to the set!
Letterman is a left-coast, bleeding-heart, "do as I say, not as I do" liberal loser - and he wonders why Leno continues to kick his sorry buttinski in the ratings.
Hey Dave, why not take yet another worn out trip to "Hello Deli" - do another non-funny rendition of your stupid "Top Ten" list - or how about your 1,284 episode of "Will It Float?" Your show has become as stale as week old bread.
So what is CBS waiting for? Fire the jackass!
"Mediocrities everywhere! I absolve you! I absolve you!" - Antonio Salieri in Amadeus
Of course it was a set
September 26, 2008 - 13:19 ET by play21cwOf course it was a set up...
McCain didn’t go on letterman because he wouldn’t have been taken seriously by him or the audience/viewers, then he would have been criticized. Was letterman willing to move the show to Washington to accommodate McCain while he was doing his job? I think NOT.
I'm sure if they offered to send a crew he would have gone on for a short back and forth. Letterman and all those other nighttime talk show hosts have gone downhill
I'd love to see a
September 26, 2008 - 13:26 ET by Indiana JoeI'd love to see a transcript of that "10 minute rant." Was it on the show, or was that the "warm-up" rant I've heard about?
Link, anyone?
Letterman is another one who's pretty much over. A 0.9 rating? Yeah, must be very cutting edge. SNL probably gets better numbers.
<edit: Brain cramp! Bet if I click on the little box with the picture in it, I'll see the rant for myself! Duh.... Ya think? LMAO!>
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
Hey, Indiana Joe!
September 26, 2008 - 13:29 ET by goldenthroatIs that how it works?
ROFL!
"Mediocrities everywhere! I absolve you! I absolve you!" - Antonio Salieri in "Amadeus"
Seems so, gt
September 26, 2008 - 13:44 ET by Indiana JoeI'll figure this out one of these days. What kind of fish can you catch with an "inter-net," anyway? ;^)
Okay, now that I've actually watched the clip... should this go down as a "hard money" donation from Letterman to Obama?
Why did he even bother getting KO on? Letterman pretty much stole Keith's whole act. Hey, he did get off some good zingers, I admit that. But he kept pounding and pounding. It became clear to me that he was personally offended that McCain blew him off, and he wanted to dish out some "pay-back."
Toward the end, he was like a petulant child.
"... smells like... victory." - Robert Duvall
Let’s see,
September 26, 2008 - 15:28 ET by needleyou are a McCain supporter, right? ;-)
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
yeah but be honest with
September 26, 2008 - 13:28 ET by seaniepyeah but be honest with yourselves . . . is katie couric really any more serious of a newscaster than david letterman?
Letterman - Let it go
September 26, 2008 - 13:31 ET by sjohnflHe's a dog with a bone, he just can't let it go!
"Letterman is Letterman...He does whatever he wants..."
September 26, 2008 - 13:34 ET by PrairieSkyI'm not a bit surprised that Letterman pulled this stunt, and it is obvious that somebody behind the scenes helped him do it. The fact that CBS is "...pretty aggravated" is debateable, and the proof about how angered they may be will be made apparent in how they deal (or not) with the situation.
As far as the ratings angle to the story is concerned, it is very interesting that Letterman's numbers are as bad as they are. With a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49, who exactly is watching this show??
"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981
"With a 0.9 rating among
September 26, 2008 - 13:42 ET by HelenS"With a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49, who exactly is watching this show??"
I'm going to take a stab at answering this question. Possible viewers:
1. People in comas, body casts, and other immobilizing gear who cannot operate the remote to change the channel and the nurse isn't responding to their desperate attempts to get her attention.
2. The few remaining occupied state hospitals have CBS permantly selected as the station of choice in the open wards, on TVs mounted up near the ceiling and in a cage. Someone may or may not have eaten the remote.
3. Institutions phasing out water-boarding have substituted Letterman as an hour-long form of ... encouragement to divulge ANYTHING to make the L-man go away!
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." - Paul (Rom. 13:1)
I love it!!
September 26, 2008 - 13:45 ET by PrairieSkyLOL!! This has been a pretty grim week news-wise, and the laugh is very appreciated!!! Thanks!!!
"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981
Our very own top 10!
September 26, 2008 - 13:49 ET by HelenSMaybe we can do our very own top 10 list. Top 10 people/groups who watch Letterman.
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." - Paul (Rom. 13:1)
Number 10
September 26, 2008 - 14:00 ET by Mike BrattonPatients of Jack Kevorkian.
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport...
Thank you HelenS
September 26, 2008 - 14:12 ET by cocodrieYou might want to add the deceased democrat voters regestered by ACORN.
Top 10...
September 26, 2008 - 14:14 ET by PrairieSkyTen is about right ! That's about all that must be watching based on the numbers!!
"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981
Dingbat Dave
September 26, 2008 - 13:42 ET by Pha PhaAnd that .09% is people who fell asleep after their local news. He should retire.
This quote from Letterman was particularly revealing.
September 26, 2008 - 13:58 ET by Mike BrattonCourtesy Fox News: "“Here’s how it works: you don’t come to see me? You don’t come to see me? Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day.”
I thought Letterman's first name was Dave, not Don.
--Mike
www.thebrattonreport...
Another reason why I don't
September 26, 2008 - 14:50 ET by UtherpendAnother reason why I don't watch Letterman any longer.
How the left-leaning comedian got access to that feed?
September 26, 2008 - 18:27 ET by BeukeboomAs a ten-year employee of a local TV station getting the backhaul to a newsfeed is easy if you know what satellite and frequency. Normally the feeds aren't scrambled and anyone can view them. In my experience I've seen some incredibly funny things occur during live feeds before and after the portion that actually airs on national and local television stations. I've seen some placed on YouTube as well.