NEW YORK — Sarah Palin says David Letterman owes an apology to young women across the country for his joke about her daughter.

The Alaska governor appeared on NBC’s “Today” show Friday, continuing a feud with the CBS “Late Show” funnyman over his joke earlier this week that Palin’s daughter got “knocked up” by New York Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez during their recent trip to New York.

Palin also said she doesn’t believe she should be automatically considered the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Asked by Matt Lauer whether Letterman owed her daughter an apology, the former vice presidential candidate broadened it.

“I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country for contributing to kind of that thread that is throughout our culture that makes it sound like it is OK to talk about young girls in that way, where it’s kind of OK, accepted and funny to talk about statutory rape,” she said. “It’s not cool. It’s not funny.”

Letterman has said his joke was about Palin’s 18-year-old daughter Bristol, who is an unwed mother (no name was used). Problem was, the Alaska governor was traveling with 14-year-old Willow. Palin said it took Letterman time to think of the “convenient excuse” that he was talking about Bristol instead of Willow.

Letterman said on his show Wednesday that he would “never, ever make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl.” He said he was guilty of poor taste.

Palin said Friday that it was time for people to rise up against Letterman’s form of humor.

“No wonder young girls especially have such low self-esteem in America when we think it’s funny for a so-called comedian to get away with such a remark as he did,” she said. “I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Lady, shut up.  And trust me, I am being polite when I call you “lady.”

There’s no way that Letterman was talking about your 14 year old daughter, and you know it.  But you are all politician, zero human, and this is a perfect chance to thrust your face into the national spotlight again and cry your crocodile tears.    He was talking about the 18 year old, not your 14 year old.  You’re the one that connected the dots between that joke and a minor.  YOU. 

It’s not the first time you used a kid as a prop, and it’s not gonna be the last.  You’re like some sort of more-annoying fusion of Kate Gosselin and Carrot Top – children, tossed around on a national stage, for fame.

And, look at that!  You’re on TV again!  Weeeee!

I get it, I get it.  It sucks.  For like 12 seconds, you were the Christmas gift the Republican party really wanted.  All wrapped up nicely in 150K worth of wrapping, everybody was talkin’ about you.  You were the best gift ever!  

And then, once the wrapping was peeled off and everybody got a good look, a lot of people realized – this gift sucks.  It’s fruitcake.    And since you can’t regift it, it’s got to go back to Alaska.  (Please don’t take the fruitcake joke as an attack on homosexuals or people with mental disorders.  It is a comment about fruitcake, the food, sucking.)

Letterman is one of the kindest, most decent guys on TV.   So when he shows remorse, I believe it.

But when a do-anything, say-anything politician rears her head again with outrage – the same fake outrage I saw the whole election – you’ll have to excuse me if I doubt it.

And speaking of apologies — some of us are still waiting for the apologies for the hyperbole Palin was throwing out during the election.  Speeches tinged with bile that more than a few people think helped light the fuses of people that shoot doctors or attack holocaust museums.

Do you remember the rhetoric you threw at Obama over the election?  About how he was “Palling around with terrorists?”  All those lines you crossed and never once apologized?  The things that were screamed at your rallies that you never tried to amend?  The hate you allowed to fester?  

So, boo-effin’-hoo, you ridiculous sack of hypocrisy and need – if you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.