David Letterman, Sarah Palin and Bill Maher

In the past 24 hours, several developments have occurred in the feud between Sarah Palin and David Letterman. Let's take a video-enhanced walk-through, shall we?

First, the talk show comedian offered an unequivocal apology to the Alaska governor.



Second, Palin issued a qualified acceptance of it, saying in a written statement,

"Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve. Letterman certainly has the right to 'joke' about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction. And this all thanks to our U.S. military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's right to free speech -- in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect."

Third, fellow talk-show host Bill Maher strongly defended Letterman and derided the notion that he needed to apologize for anything (relevant portion starts at 5:27 in the video).




Fourth, a couple dozen Palin supporters started a protest outside the Ed Sullivan Theater (where The Late Show is taped) and called for Letterman to be fired. FOX's Greta Van Susteren, known for her own ties to Palin, featured a few clips from the rally.



Fifth, in a Top-Ten List titled, "The Top Ten Things Overheard at the 'Fire David Letterman' Rally," Letterman poked fun at the protesters (relevant portion starts at the 2:32 mark):




Sixth, David Letterman's ratings have soared since the controversy.

Monday night, when Mr. Letterman offered his extended apology to Governor Palin and her family, he had his best night yet in the continuing late-night competition against NBC's new "Tonight" show star, Conan O'Brien. In preliminary national ratings, Mr. Letterman pulled in 700,000 more viewers than Mr. O'Brien Monday night, 3.9 million to 3.2 million, his biggest margin yet over his new competitor.

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