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Shallow Nation

September 11th, 2008 at 7:05 am

Video & Photos: Barack Obama on Late Show with David Letterman 9-10-08 “Lipstick on a Pig” Controversy

Barack Obama on Late Show with David Letterman, September 10, 2008

Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama made an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman on September 10, 2008. He discussed the “lipstick on a pig” controversy.

…after a day of heated debate by media and political pundits over comments some took as a slam against Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Obama spent much of his visit talking about Palin and clarifying his earlier comments.

“This is sort of silly season in politics, not that there’s a non-silly season, but it gets sillier,” Obama said. “And it’s a common expression in at least Illinois. I don’t know about New York City. I don’t know what you put lipstick on here.”

Obama told Letterman the expression “lipstick on a pig” in this case applies to having a bad idea and trying to pass it off as change.

“Just calling [ideas] change, calling them different doesn’t make it better, hence lipstick on a pig,” Obama said.

He then clarified his statements even more.

“Keep in mind, technically, had I meant it this way, [Palin] would be the lipstick. The failed policies of John McCain would be the pig, just following the logic of this illogical situation,” Obama said.

Earlier in the day, Obama accused Republican McCain’s campaign of using “lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics” in claiming he used a sexist comment against Palin.

Calling it “the latest made-up controversy by the John McCain campaign,” Obama responded to the Republicans’ charge that he was referring to Palin when he used the phrase “lipstick on a pig” at a campaign stop Tuesday.

“I don’t care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics. Enough is enough,” he said.

During his visit with Letterman, Obama talked about visiting Disneyland, boyhood memories, joking with his 87-year-old grandmother and embarrassing his daughters on their first day back to school.

Obama said his grandmother’s reaction when he won the nomination was pretty simple: “That’s nice, that’s nice.”