So apparently Sarah Palin sold over three hundred thousand copies of her book in one day – and as you can guess – they were all purchased by racists.

At least, that’s what the sociology professors over at MSNBC Community College believe. Check out Hardball guest Norah O’Donnell, impersonating a talking puffin…

“This is a largely white — almost no minorities in this crowd. And they`re here because they love Sarah Palin. I think it`s an emotional connection, Chris because they feel, too, that they`ve been beat up on, whether it`s the economy or they feel like outcasts. They like the outsider, if you will, in Sarah Palin. And that`s why people have been willing to wait, 1,500 of them, since 7:00 AM this morning to just get a glimpse of Sarah Palin.”

So let me get this straight: people appreciate Palin because they’ve been picked on by a big bully. It makes me wonder if Norah ever psycho-analyzed Obama supporters this closely… or called them “largely black.”

But hey, I guess that’s better than calling them a tribe or something. Chris?

“I think there is a tribal aspect to this thing, in other words, white vs. other people. I think she is very smart about this. Here she is on the issue of — of what happened down at Fort Hood, obviously, an ethnic issue, as many people see it..”

So, imagine for a moment, if during an Obama rally, Matthews described it as “tribal.” How fast would he be fired, and then ending up on Oprah issuing a tearful apology?

Boogla moogla, I might say.

Which is Greg-lingo, for “pretty fast.”

But here’s the real issue: I used to think this race-baiting tactic was a political ploy. But now I believe they mean it. They do think that if you’re against the policies of Obama, you must be racist. And that’s because in their profession, they don’t know anyone who’s against the policies of Obama! Surrounded by like-minded lackeys, they’re convinced that everyone beyond the tinted windows of their black cars must be card-carrying members of the Aryan Book Club.

The real truth: Whether it’s Norah O’Donnell or Chris Matthews – they’re just too scared to question a black man over policy.

And that’s authentic bigotry.

But what can you expect from a bunch of white people?

And if you disagree with me, then you’re probably a racist.

Tonight, another great lineup!

Andrew W.K.

Steven Crowder

Kimberly Guilfoyle

my mom!

First, let me tell you what really happened, and then I can explain what we should all learn from this.  Here’s the timeline… 

Monday, June 8th: Letterman uses Palin’s trip to New York to unleash a torrent of  ”comic” attacks on her and her family. The entire “Top Ten” list is devoted to the Governor and includes cracks about her updating her “slutty” wardrobe and possessing illegal drugs. The monologue includes a “joke” about Palin’s “daughter” getting “knocked up” at a Yankees game by Alex Rodriquez during the 7th inning stretch while her mother and a stadium full of spectators presumably watched.  

Tuesday, June 9th: As I’m getting ready for the second edition of my new Los Angeles radio talk show, I see a story on the Drudge Report about Letterman’s “Top Ten” list. Governor Palin was previously scheduled as a guest on that show because she’s basically the “star” of my documentary. I wanted her as my first guest on my new program and she was gracious enough to make the time for that to happen. When I speak to her off the air just before we go live, I ask if she’s aware of what Letterman had done the night before, she says she’s not. I quickly tell her about the “Top Ten” and the “slutty” comments but say nothing about the “daughter” “joke” because I wasn’t yet aware of it. 

During my extensive interview with Governor Palin I ask her about Letterman’s “slutty” comments and she, as usual, takes the high road and offers only a mild rebuke of Letterman, calling him “pretty pathetic.”  

While that clip from my interview makes the rounds for the rest of the day, the “spat” really doesn’t get that much play at first and Drudge even takes the entire issue off his site. However, it is important to note that there was plenty of information out in the public domain before Letterman’s taping that night which should have given the host and his staff all the facts they needed to realize that the only “daughter” with Palin on her New York trip was a 14-year-old, non-public figure, Willow. There is no apology from Letterman that night. 

Wednesday June 10th: Much to my surprise I’m asked on MSNBC to discuss my interview with Governor Palin and the Letterman comments. I’m particularly stunned when I’m told I’ll be interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, with whom I’ve had on-air tussles in the past. Well, clearly O’Donnell either gets cold feet or simply chickens out when she finds out it’s her job to interview me (I was laughably told by the MSNBC producer that this change of plans – a plan I was given 25 minutes before the show — is due to “breaking news” of the Chrysler Supreme Court decision from the previous evening!).   

Instead I’m “interviewed” by Contessa Brewer, and you can judge for yourself how that went: 

– 

I later find out that what Brewer thought was an analogous situation in her own life was when Don Imus (oh, the irony!) said she had a large ass. Yeah Contessa, that’s pretty much the same as what Letterman said about Palin and her family! 

Rush Limbaugh plays the highlights of what is likely my last MSNBC appearance (twice) on his show, and the video of this exchange is quickly all over the Internet. 

Later, Governor Palin and her husband Todd release scathing statements condemning Letterman for his “rape joke” about Willow.  That night Letteman mocks their statement, lamely claims that the joke was about Bristol not Willow (which, by the way, I think is a valid distinction but one which is not consistent with the facts), invites Governor Palin (while creepily urging Todd to stay home) on his show to further increase his ratings, and proceeds to retell the very same jokes for which he is allegedly “apologizing.” 

Thursday June 11th:  Governor Palin’s spokesperson (contrary to Contessa Brewer’s claims, that is NOT me) says she will not be coming on Letterman’s show and half jokingly says that it would probably be a good idea to keep Willow away from Letterman. This last statement would not (surprise!) be put in the proper context by the news media because they either didn’t know, or didn’t care, that Letterman had been making numerous overt references to his sexual attraction to the Governor for an extended period of time and of course he has just joked (whether he realized it or not) about a public sex act with Willow. 

During most of the day the leftwing media goes into overdrive in their efforts to protect Letterman and even demonize Palin for having the gall to protect her daughter’s dignity. The bogus apology is largely accepted by the media and receives almost none of the scathing criticism it so richly deserved. At this point Don Imus must have been thinking back to his groveling to Al Sharpton after the “nappy headed hoes” outrage and wondered, “What the hell is going on here?!” 

Shockingly, Keith Olbermann (who is both a Letterman sycophant and possessor one of the nastiest cases of Palin Derangement Syndrome in captivity) is one of the worst offenders in this crusade.  He calls the Palins “opportunists” and his guest Margaret Carlson sells out her entire gender for future spots on Olbermann’s show by declaring that Palin should be considered “one of the worst people in the world” for having strongly stood up (in a written statement for heaven’s sake!) for her 14-year-old daughter.  The National Organization for Women of course says nothing and does not call for Letterman’s firing as they did for Imus. 

Friday June 12th: Governor Palin goes on The Today Show to discuss a major development in her efforts to get a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to the lower 48.  Matt Lauer, like a kid being forced to wait at the top of the steps before being allowed to see what’s under the Christmas tree, barely makes it through the “substance” so he can grill Palin about why she’s so offended by the host of a major show on CBS making rape jokes about her 14-year-old daughter. For some reason Lauer asks her how she found out about the Letterman attacks and she accurately (of course) mentions the events exactly as they happened on my show and gives my program an unnecessary, but still appreciated, mention. 

Later that day I’m made aware of a website (that contrary to numerous allegedly reputable news outlets is NOT mine) www.firedavidletterman.com which is planning some sort of rally outside of Letterman’s theater early the next week. Long story short, I agree to be one of their spokespeople/advisors and promise to speak at the rally if my new radio station can get a studio in New York City in time. 

Monday June 15th:  I make an appearance on Fox News Channel to discuss the rally and why I think what Letterman did was far worse than what Imus was fired for. My radio station (KGIL in Los Angeles) is able to get a studio for me to do my show the next day in NYC, so that afternoon I head to LAX to catch the next flight across the country so I can speak at the rally. 

As I am getting on the plane I get a call from a producer of the CBS Early Show telling me that Letterman had “sincerely” apologized and asking me if the rally is still on with the clear implication that this should be enough to call the whole thing off (the same presumption would dominate nearly every one of the dozens of media inquires I would field after that). The producer books me on the show for the next morning, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to cancel once he puts it up the flag pole and CBS makes it clear from the higher ups that they’re still supporting their guy (one of the obvious signs the Imus MSNBC show was toast was when NBC news spent an entire first segment of the Nightly News obsessing over the “nappy headed hoes” issue). Sure enough, I soon have a message on my voicemail canceling my booking on the CBS Early Show. 

No one involved with the movement/rally/website really gives any thought to canceling because of Letterman’s belated apology. I’m just glad he essentially admitted that we were right. I also wonder what new information or event (other than watching Mark Shields on PBS criticize him; who knew Letterman watches PBS, or that Mark Shields was still alive?!) has suddenly changed the circumstances since Letterman had all the information he needed to apologize a week earlier and did no such thing.  However, knowing the media like I do, I’m sure they’ll use this as the “move on” moment they are desperately searching for and that the environment for Tuesday’s rally is going to be even more difficult than I previously feared.   

Tuesday June 16th: I’m awaken very early with media calls for me to react to Governor Palin “accepting” Letterman’s apology (contrary to the claims of Contessa Brewer and others, I am not part of Sarah Palin’s decision making process nor even in the loop). While I totally understand why she did it (one of the thousands of disadvantages she faces, thanks to the media agenda against her, is no flexibility when it comes to not taking the highest of roads. She would surely have been skewered had she had done anything other than show how classy she really in fully accepting Letterman’s second apology), I must confess that I knew her acceptance of the apology was going to derail our message. The media now had everything they needed to move on from a story that made them very uncomfortable because it forced them to either defend Sarah Palin or expose themselves as blatant hypocrites. Of course, this would mark the first time in recorded history that the national news media has accepted as credible anything Sarah Palin has said. 

In-between numerous radio and television interviews, and in the wildest kind of irony, I was able to do my radio show from, I kid you not, the CBS News building.  This is hilarious not just because Letterman’s show is on CBS, but because I was just arrested at USC for trying to expose Katie Couric’s Walter Cronkite Journalism Award for her Sarah Palin interview as the fraud that it is. For most people this situation would be off the charts on the bizarro meter, but my life is so strange and I was so busy that the whole thing barely fazed me. Sadly, Katie and I didn’t run into each other in the lobby.  

After my show, I take a cab to the Ed Sullivan Theater. My expectations for what is about to transpire are extremely low. None of the heavy hitters in the conservative media (not to mention NOW) had stepped forward to help out the cause, and thus far most of the coverage of the rally was national and not local. The people who were organizing this event (again, contrary to numerous “news” accounts, that was NOT me) did not seem to have their act together and I was very concerned that even the basics for this kind of happening would not be properly in place.  I warned them many times about various aspects of the basic logistics and they assured me it would be taken care of. They also seemed confident that the crowd would be at least a couple hundred people (over 300 had indicated they would be there), which I thought would be fine. To me the size of the crowd had nothing to do with anything. This was about right and wrong. But I also know the way the game is played. 

When I arrived about 10 minutes before the scheduled start time, it was clear this thing would be a disaster. The small crowd was splintered by numerous members of the news media who were clearly dedicated to interviewing the craziest people they could find to represent “all” the protesters. One guy (later determined to be a plant from a satellite radio show) screamed and carried on like a lunatic. Things only get worse from there. 

I immediately recognized that some of the people the owner of fire-david-letterman.com (a guy in Nashville, of all places) had put in charge of organizing the event were the same individuals who had royally screwed me in a NYC screening of my film originally intended for the “PUMA” organization (a pro-Hillary faction that I soon learned was mostly full of complete lunatics with racist and man-hating tendencies who had absolutely no ability to get people to any event of any kind). Now I’m sure we’re doomed. 

Sure enough, no large crowd arrives. Worse than that, the audio set-up lacks a speaker system and there’s no power source (Fox News originally offered to plug the extension cord into their live truck but then apparently decided that might not send the right message; I’m quite sure that CNN and the local stations who were there would have fallen over themselves to help — without fear of repercussion — if Al Sharpton needed electricity). The woman who was supposed to know how to set up the audio system hadn’t yet arrived and the back-up bullhorn could barely outdo a church mouse. 

It is a nightmare. 

Seeking to make the best of a horrible situation and with no other viable options, I call a press conference. About half the media not distracted by the nut-jobs, gather and I proceed to give an address and then take questions. Here’s the video: 

Part 1: 

– 

Part 2:

– 

After I finish up and sign autographs for a few fans of my film, I have a decision to make: Either stay and watch the rest of the ship sink, or make a scheduled appearance on CNN Headline News. I decide on the TV show (some bloggers have charged that I just left, never even spoke, or split early for no reason — neither of which is remotely accurate). But even though I had to endure some jackass faux “independent” on the CNN television panel outrageously claim that this was all an attempt at publicity for Governor Palin and me, it was probably the right call.   

As I fly back to LA that night I’m very depressed. I know the left-wing nuts on the Internet are going to have a field day with what happened and that the true point of all of this is likely to get lost. I get in too late to catch David Letterman do a somewhat humorous “Top Ten” list on the things overheard at the Fire David Letterman rally. He should have added, “Who’s that geeky white guy who wishes he had never spent $1,000 and 14 hours traveling from LA to be here?”  

Wednesday June 17th : Though sure the media will let the story completely  die, I’m shocked when e-mails arrive indicating Olive Garden restaurants has pulled their advertising from the Letterman show. I leak the strongly worded e-mails to Politico.com and they indicate that the story will break as soon as they can verify it. 

Thursday June 18th:  Sure enough, Politico confirms the Olive Garden story and it runs prominently (it gets the most page views that day). Drudge runs it, as well as Big Hollywood and Hotair. Weirdly, the article they run has several inaccuracies about me (once again, I did not organize the rally, and the firedavidletterman.com website is not mine). The reporter promises to correct the errors, but never does. He also never adds to the story our verification that Hellman’s/Whole Foods has pulled online advertising from Letterman.  

The reporter claims this is because he’s too busy dealing with a New York Times report (from a reporter who has written a book largely about Letterman) that indicates Olive Garden is denying the story. Politico does not back off the story, but does let Olive Garden off the hook for their obvious reversal/disingenuousness. The media’s allowing Letterman to dodge another bullet. My guess is that the chamber is now empty. 

In conclusion, I wish to share some general thoughts and observations on this whole saga. 

For a guy who’s received WAY more hate mail in my life than 99.99% of the population, even I’m shocked by the volume and intensity of angry e-mails over this matter.  They’re almost all the same; high on profanity and insults (for some reason “douchebag” is a favorite with this crowd) and extremely low on substance and logic. 

The left-wing blogs have been seemingly obsessed with me — as if anything about me changes the basic facts of the story – but it’s obvious they can’t win this argument on the facts so they’ve chosen to make me the issue. Here’s an incomplete list of reasons they give for why my role in this story is illegitimate. 

1. I’ve been fired many times for saying things on talk shows. (Ah, hello! That’s exactly why I am credible on this issue, and nothing I got fired for was nearly as egregious as what Letterman said. If I had said something as bad or worse and NOT gotten fired, THEN that would be a legitimate issue.) 

2. I wrote a little-noticed book called ‘The Death of Free Speech.” (In which I lay out the “rules” for broadcast speech as determined by the news media, many of which were clearly violated by Letterman. I was simply trying to either get some equity or at least expose the massive double standard when it comes to the arbitrary enforcement of these rules, especially when the target is Sarah Palin.) 

3. In an out of context interview for a reality show (which I doubt ever aired) put together by a left winger trying to make me look bad when I suddenly became someone they cared enough about to attack, I once said that most women are irrational and that the key to dating is to find a woman with a manageable degree of irrationality. (It is a shame they missed the section where I joke about a 14-year-old girl getting raped in public by an adult while her mother watches, because THAT might have been remotely relevant to this matter.) 

4. I’m just a media whore. (So is there another way to get one’s message out when you don’t have a national television talk show? Please let me know if there is, because frankly no one hates the absurdity of appearing as a guest on TV talk shows more than me.)

5. I’m doing this simply to make money from my film. (Really? If anyone knew how much money and work and risk I have put into this film/cause and how little money I’m likely to make when all’s said and done, or how many copies of the film I’ve donated because that’s how strongly I believe in the message, they couldn’t possibly think money is anywhere near my prime motivation. I can also assure you that I have made no profit from this specific episode.) 

6. I personally like Sarah Palin. (Yep. You got me. I guess we should wait for one of the millions who seem to hate her to devote their time, money and reputation to defend her. Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I should just shut up about the truth of the media agenda against her – a mission I’ve devoted my life to exposing — because, after all, I am biased, and even worse, actually know what I’m talking about.) 

7. Other comedians had said things almost as horrible about Palin and her family and there was no outrage. (This might be my favorite bit of liberal “logic.” So, because others got away with verbal manslaughter, we should Letterman get away with comparative murder??) 

Yes, much vitriol has been thrown my direction, but I’m not as bothered by that as I am by what has been once again allowed to happen to the Palin family because — despite what you might read on left-wing blogs — this is obviously NOT ABOUT ME. 

This is about a woman who has seen her character and reputation attacked relentlessly and illegitimately by a news media with a clear agenda. She’s been accused of faking the pregnancy of a down-syndrome baby, had the details of her teenage daughter’s sex life discussed on Larry King Live (well after the election), watched one of her previously unscathed children joked about in the most heinous way imaginable, and then gets accused of trying to get media attention when she releases a statement expressing outrage. Is there another parent in this country who wouldn’t have completely lost it at this point, even if they weren’t also the highly successful governor of our largest state? 

Regardless of your political persuasion, what happened to the Palins should be of grave concern. What should sadden and frighten all of us is that we are now in the process of clearly setting a precedent that there are no rules or standards when it comes to attacking a particular public person (and their private family). Sarah Palin and her family have done absolutely nothing to deserve this treatment. The media simply decided they don’t like them. 

Thankfully, my sense is that the Palins are probably uniquely suited to survive and prosper through an unprecedented firestorm that has gone on for almost a year now. But just because they are tough enough to take it, doesn’t make it right and doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be stopped or at least condemned.

Last week I released my documentary film “Media Malpractice… How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted“ and appeared on numerous major media outlets to explain and promote the film. You can see most of those, often hilarious, appearances for yourself here.

This is a diary of sorts of my promotional tour. 

Sunday February 22nd: 

For weeks we had geared our entire rollout to revolve around a long scheduled live appearance on the “Today Show” which would center around us having given them the exclusive on the rest of the Sarah Palin interview that I had done back in January (believe me NBC was not my first choice and the thick irony of doing this with the network that was featured most in my film was not lost on me).

I flew from Los Angeles to New York with my publicist on the project, Michael Wright…  As soon as we stepped off the plane Michael had a message from the “Today Show” producer who had set up the interview.  They were going to bump us from Monday to Tuesday because of the Academy Awards coverage they would be doing. This development was particularly galling because twice during negotiations I had mentioned to them that they might not want to do the segment the morning after the Oscars, but they insisted.

Now, we were facing total disaster. If we allowed the interview to get moved to Tuesday we would run right into the wall to wall coverage of President Obama’s faux “State of the Union” speech that night and we would get no traction. Plus, I had e-mailed our list of 50,000 supporters alerting them to the appearance on Monday. In my mind there was no way Tuesday was a viable option. I felt like six months of incredibly hard work and well over $100,000 of my own money was about to be flushed away.

After much (often heated) discussion with Michael, I was convinced that the “Today Show” was simply expressing a preference based on the notion that they could push us around and that we should basically call their bluff. We had a very clear agreement with them that we could only be bumped for “breaking news,” which the Oscars were obviously not.

Eventually they gave in and put us back on Monday morning in the prime 7:35 am slot, but it was an extremely draining way to start what was going to be a long week and I think it may have subconsciously impacted how I handled the eventual appearance on the show.

–

Monday February 23rd:

After getting maybe two hours of sleep (the events of Sunday combined with the time difference created a toxic mix), we walked from our hotel over to the “Today Show” studios. Having not really eaten dinner the night before, I was disappointed to find that the fixings in the green room at even the vaunted “Today Show” are rather lame. I guess times are tough all over (though I somehow guess that if a celebrity had been scheduled that day the food would have been a little better).

Eventually, I was brought out to the set. Unfortunately, because of the timing of the segment there was no chance for pleasantries (not that I am a “pleasantries” kind of guy) with Matt Lauer, who would be doing the interview with me. This was because as soon as he sat down they immediately played the set up piece from Norah O’Donnell about the rest of the Palin interview that I had given them the exclusive on.

I knew I needed pay close attention to make sure I could immediately call them out on anything in the piece that was blatant distortion, which, knowing the history of Norah O’Donnell I fully expected to happen. I had debated internally how I would handle that circumstance and whether it was a smart idea to “blow up” the entire interview over whatever acts of “media malpractice” O’Donnell chose to perform.

Much to my surprise, O’Donnell went in a totally different direction. While there were some subtle shots taken at Palin by mischaracterizing the general nature of my interview with her, in general O’Donnell seemed to try make the interview seem as boring and non-newsworthy as possible. To this day I am completely befuddled by the clips that NBC chose to air from over 30 minutes of largely explosive stuff that they had been given exclusively.  In fact, the longest clip they broadcast was Palin’s innocuous first answer to my first question of her. This was like having the major highlight from the Super Bowl come from pre-game warm ups. I have to wonder if it was done out of just plain old laziness.

Meanwhile I instantly needed to decide how I was going to handle the biggest interview of my life and, since I was not positive that the more dangerous road made sense, I decided to take the safer route. Under the same circumstances I think anyone else would have done the same thing, but given 20/20 hindsight I think I would have done it differently if I had to do it over.

This is not to say the Lauer interview was not without sparks. I was proud that I got him to admit that the media-created perception of Sarah Palin as an “idiot” is a lie, but frankly he was just too nice to me for me to go on a full out attack without looking like a complete ass (as a “conservative,” straight, white, non-celebrity male I start such situations with at least two strikes already counted against me).

Unlike most conservatives who have the lone goal of getting re-invited when they go on high-profile liberal shows, I usually let it all hang out, but Lauer, I guess to his credit, did not allow me an opportunity to do really do that. Still, I had made my points and did not back down. As for Lauer, he could not have been less offended by my barbs at him. After the interview when I mentioned that we were both avid golfers he whispered (why, I don’t know) to me that he had played Augusta National that weekend and his group had to wait for the frost to melt before teeing off. Tough life, Matt.

 Immediately after getting off the set I was taken to the MSNBC studios for an appearance on “Morning Joe,” which was incredibly frustrating because I knew that the host Joe Scarborough was going to love my film, at least in part because he played a fairly prominent and positive role in it. Unfortunately there was no way to get him to see the film before the show and with his 13 different co-hosts (at least it felt that way) we weren’t really able to get much beyond the surface. About the only memorable moment was when Pat Buchanan facetiously asked me (in perfect deadpan) if there was one network that was worse than any of the others and Joe stepped in before I could give the obvious answer of the very network on which we were appearing.  I also made a bet with co-host Mika that her opinion of Sarah Palin would change when she saw this film, but I have not yet heard back from her on what the result of that wager was.

 As I was leaving the set of “Morning Joe” I was approached by a producer who asked if I would do an interview with none other than Norah O’Donnell. Even though she would be in DC and I was only planning to do in-studio interviews on this trip, I couldn’t resist the chance to let her have it for what she did with the “Today Show” set-up piece and how absurd it was in the first place that she would be chosen to do the story because just a couple of weeks before she had incorrectly stated on the air that Sarah Palin had called Barack Obama a “terrorist” during the campaign.

When we showed up for the interview we were informed that because Andrea Mitchell (one of the key targets of my film) was sick and that O’Donnell would have to sub for her and could not do the interview. I told them I only wanted to do the interview with her and apparently they moved mountains to get her immediately to the set, possibly under the delusion that I was requesting her out of respect or admiration.

What resulted was an interview that may have been truly unique in the history of cable news networks. I started the interview by thanking her for giving me fodder for my next film “Media Malpractice 2: The Sequel” (still only in the imaginary stage) and then I proceeded to tell her that she should have been fired rather than rewarded for her Palin/Obama “terrorist” comment. The hilarity ensued from there. I highly recommend you seeing the whole story here.

One other thing happened while I was on the MSNBC set that I found to be interesting. For the third straight time that day one member of the studio crew had made a concerted effort to approach me and essentially thank me for doing the film. I guess when you work for NBC? MSNBC and are forced to be subjected to their coverage all the time, it makes quite an impact.

Later that afternoon we got our first cancellation of an interview. We had been tentatively booked to do an interview with CNN’s Olbermann-wannabe Rick Sanchez, which I was really looking forward to because he would give me even more fodder than O’Donnell (and he isn’t even cute). Unfortunately, he apparently chickened out. It was a very wise decision on his part. I would have destroyed him.

That night I made my first live appearance on the legendary O’Reilly Factor. Considering the immense stature of the show, the green room was really small and, on this night, literally overflowing with guests. The experience of being brought into the set with Bill is almost surreal and a little like I have imagined an audience with the Pope might be. Bill was short, firm, polite and a real pro on the air.  On that show it is much more important what Bill says than what you say and since he essentially endorsed the film, I was thrilled.

– 

 Tuesday February 24th: 

Perhaps the most surprising development of the trip was the way my first CNN interview went on “American Morning.” I was incredibly impressed that Kiran Chetry, the person doing my live interview, actually took the time to speak to me in the green room before we went on the air. Even rarer than that sincere effort was that she was incredibly open and honest about how she at first had been drawn to Sarah Palin and then was turned off to her by certain events. The result was perhaps the most interesting interview I did the entire week. She has promised to watch the film once I can get it to her. I hope that it might help her see that she was duped by the very industry in which she works.

This was also the only appearance that I am aware of where the most newsworthy clip of my Sarah Palin interview was actually played. How in the world her saying, “Obviously something big took place in the mainstream media deciding to SEEK and DESTROY this candidacy of Sarah Palin’s because of what she represents in a conservative movement,” is not a major news story is completely baffling to me.

My other CNN interview that day was for “Showbiz Tonight.” Having to follow a full segment of “Octomom” developments made me quickly realize exactly where I stood in the media hierarchy. Still, I seemed to make at least some impact on the anchor, so it was not a lost cause.

By far the most fun interview of the week was on the Glenn Beck Show. If doing O’Reilly is like meeting the Pope, doing Glenn’s show is like hanging out with the Court Jester. He is incredibly entertaining and relaxed, especially for a guy who has never done live TV before his now incredibly successful Fox News show. He also loved the film and seemed to be amused by me, so that was also a big boost.

I did one interview on this day that was solely for the purpose of revenge. Largely due to my extreme interest in (and very tangential involvement in) the O.J. Simpson case, as well as my friendship with Kim Goldman, I have long hated former book publisher Judith Regan for essentially paying the double murderer for his bogus confessional, “If I Did It” book. When her producer asked me on her Sirius radio show (clearly having no idea of why that would be a really bad idea) I couldn’t resist. The results were almost exactly as I expected. When the segment ended she was completely out of sorts and I was basically tossed out of the studio. I felt great about it.

Wednesday February 25th: 

I head to Washington, DC for CPAC to do an in-studio appearance on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.”  While I have disagreed with Great in the past, she deserves real credit for seeing early on the power and impact of the Sarah Palin story. I have joked with her in the past that she has gone to Wasilla so often that she gets her mail delivered there. I think the Palin’s are even considering building an addition onto their house for her.

Thursday February 26th: 

For the first time we are actually going to publicly show parts of the film. Even though you would think this would be nerve racking, I am so confident in the content of the work that actually showing the film is about the least stressful portion of the week.

Our showing of the entire Palin interview at CPAC goes well and our premiere of the actual film at the National Press Club gets greeted by a standing ovation (largely because the vast majority of the invited media decided to not attend, gee, I wonder why). Even AOL’s liberal blogger Tommy Christopher, gave the film a big thumbs up.

Friday February 27th:  

Most of this day is spent enduring radio row at CPAC which is essentially like some sort of chaotic penis measuring contest where guests are booked and dumped on a moment’s notice based on their Q- rating in the conservative media. At one point I got temporarily bumped on a national show for 9/11 conspiracy nut Jerome Corsi. That hurt.

Later in the afternoon I was in the lobby of the hotel meeting a reporter to give him a copy of “Media Malpractice” when left-wing blogger Max Blumenthal approached me and, without even bothering to ask permission, starts asking me questions on camera about how I didn’t use my full name in one of my numerous attempts to get Max to do an interview for my 2008 film, “Blocking the Path to 9/11.”

Since I had been seeking a chance to question Max about his dastardly and incredibly destructive efforts to get the “Path to 9/11″ censored with lies and distortions, I figured I would engage rather do what he would have done, which of course would have been to run away. The ensuing exchange got rather heated and of course I was giving him the power to edit the tape to try to make himself look less bad (which he, largely unsuccessfully, attempted to do). I hope that he will eventually fulfill his promise of posting the entire video as well as to debate me on the substance of my damning allegations against him. I will not be holding my breath.

On this day I also got bumped from interviews with Bob Schieffer and Anderson Cooper.  They add their names to the list of apparent cowards like Chris Matthews, Campbell Brown and Rick Sanchez who have booked me during this saga only to later chicken out for no apparent reason. Even MSNBC’s David Shuster who made a  HUGE deal about interviewing me twice in one day when the Palin interview was originally released and saying I was welcome back anytime, never called.  David, I thought we had something special.

Saturday February 28th:

Max Blumenthal didn’t show up for a debate I had set up with Tommy Christopher. I’m hardly surprised. 

The panel I’m on at CPAC is a complete joke and a total injustice to the incredibly important topic of the news media. 

I’m  now ill — probably got something from hanging out with Blumenthal too long.

Sunday, March 1st:

I return home to Los Angeles and as sick as I am I’m hoping the “Today Show” doesn’t cancel the ride home they promised. Thankfully, they stand by their commitment. Now, if I can keep my badly neglected fiancée from killing me, I should be ok.

Monday, March 2nd:

I won’t even find out until the next day (which really shows how small and isolated the MSNBC audience is) but Keith Olbermann names me one of the “Worst People in the World,” for a speech I gave at CPAC in which I said that those on the conservative side who sell-out for liberal media approval should be punished. 

If you watch the video, I urge you to see if you can find the five lies and distortions Olby spews in his short commentary on my words. The most hurtful was him calling me a “failed sportscaster.” That was actually one my few careers I was really good at! The most blatant and harmful falsehood was him claiming I “scared Sarah Palin” when I showed her his picture. This is just not true. I showed her my first film “Blocking the Path to 9/11“ and when she saw his picture on the back cover she groaned and said, “That guy is so evil. What is wrong with him?”

I would expect nothing less from Olbermann and I consider his attack a badge of honor.

Wednesday, March 3rd:

Today I head out for Seattle, the first stop of our national tour.

Editor’s Note: You can purchase “Media Malpractice” at this link.

This dealt with the set-up segment to my appearance on the “Today Show” (video below) yesterday. The “Today Show” was given exclusive access to the unreleased portions of my Sarah Palin interview and NBC reporter Norah O’Donnell was given these clips and chosen to do the story on the Palin interview that would air just before and lead into my interview with Matt Lauer.

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What O’Donnell chose to air was striking for two reasons. First, it so badly missed all the best Palin sound bites I can only conclude (despite any logic to this theory) that NBC did so on purpose. No one could be so incompetent as to take 43 minutes of great stuff and literally use the very first answer in the interview (which was hardly noteworthy) and none of the best clips. Second, O’Donnell’s editorial choices went out of their way to diminish and ignore Governor Palin’s very credible objections to very specific episodes of media malpractice. But the news media, especially NBC, trying to make Palin look bad is hardly new.

That NBC allowed Norah O’Donnell to do the piece to begin with is interesting. Last month when snippets of the Palin interview were released, she and I had a memorable on-air confrontation that did not go as planned.

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Even more extraordinary than this conflict of interest is that just after our confrontation, O’Donnell said on-air that that Palin had called Barack Obama a “terrorist.” 

Now in a media world that was remotely sane, O’Donnell would have been fired for making such a false statement. Instead, she ends up dictating which Palin clips will be seen on the “Today Show,” the largest audience likely to ever see them. And while I was tempted to address this during my interview with Lauer, I refrained (a split-second decision I may end up regretting), and instead chose to confront O’Donnell directly when she interviewed me later in the day on MSNBC.

The video speaks for itself:

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To me, this tells you everything you need to know about why I had to make this film.

Related:

Exclusive: Big Hollywood first look at “Media Malpractice”

A Revealing Morning With Sarah Palin

Reaction To My Palin Interview Proves The Point