As long as there have been politicians and a mass media, there have been people willing to mock those close to the politicians.

Our recent presidents have their own track record with comedians and critics: Richard Nixon's daughters Julie and Tricia (whose wedding ceremony was in the Rose Garden); Gerald Ford's son Steven (whose acting career was highlighted by a role on "The Young and the Restless" and an abortive role in the film "Grease"); Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy (who was a White House pre-teen); Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea (who had the same White House growing pains as Amy Carter); and George W. Bush's college-aged twin daughters.

Sometimes the criticism has sparked a president to lower himself into the muck. In 1950, a Washington Post critic said Harry Truman's daughter Margaret "cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time."

Truman used White House stationery to respond, "I have never met you, but if I do, you'll need a new nose and plenty of beefsteak and perhaps a supporter below."

But for the most part, chief executives have ignored remarks or turned the other cheek.

So how is it that for a week, time stopped as calm and reasonable people argued about a joke David Letterman made at the expense of one of the daughters of failed vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin?

Seriously? This is what's passing for discourse in this country now? Taking sides on a lame joke made to eat up a few seconds of late-night network time?

Not since the last fuss of fury over something that hadn't even been seen yet ("Fahrenheit 9/11," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back") has so much anger been wasted on so futile an argument.

This corner doesn't take Letterman's side. "The Late Show With David Letterman" stopped being must-see for me when the host's monologue slid into a nonstop morass of "New York cab drivers talk funny" and Ted Kennedy drinking jokes. (Not out of any support for Ted Kennedy, but out of weariness for the hackness of Ted Kennedy drinking jokes, which are even worse than airline food jokes and Jack Nicholson impressions.)

So Letterman made a joke that might have been ill-considered. It's a joke that might have slid into obscurity but for the reaction of Palin and a number of others who need more to worry about.

The joke, for the record, regarding Palin and her daughter attending a New York Yankee baseball game:

"One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game. During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."

A good joke? Not really. Tied to current events? Kind of, in Letterman's world. At least it references Palin's oldest daughter's poster child status as a single mother, and Rodriguez's infidelities, both of which have taken place in this century.

Unfortunately for Letterman and his writers, their facts were skewed. It was Palin's 14-year-old daughter Willow who attended the game. Palin fired with both barrels.

"Laughter incited by sexually perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl is … disgusting," Palin said in a statement. Later, she said the joke added to the "acceptance of abuse of young women."

Really? Bob Hope's jokes about Brooke Shields toward the end of Hope's USO tours must have driven Palin nuts.

Father Todd Palin added, "Any 'jokes' about raping my 14-year-old are despicable."

Wow. How did we get to rape? How did we get to the 14-year-old? Wasn't it pretty apparent what the joke was about? Isn't this all a little too much?

If Palin had been elected, would an insult by another country's leader toward her family led to a nuclear strike?

OK, that's taking it too far, admittedly. But aren't our leaders supposed to rise above such things? If Palin had been willing to step back, there were some folks ready, willing and able to step up for Palin and level criticism toward Letterman.

It all seemed like a tempest in a teapot, or a hurricane in a television studio. In the big picture, aren't these stupid little jokes really relatively harmless?

Interestingly, Associated Press writer David Bauder suggests this may be just the boost Letterman needs. In a recent column, Bauder wrote that this could bring attention to Letterman's show just when he needs it, as viewers sample Conan O'Brien's new version of "The Tonight Show" and try to decide among O'Brien, Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel.

The Palin flap, Bauder says, may bring attention to Letterman and make him the person whose take interests younger viewers, or more viewers.

That boomerang effect can be a nasty one.

timcain@herald-review.com|421-6908