Letterman breaks another promise

I am beginning to wonder if David Letterman's ordeal with an alleged extortionist is turning into an opportunity to improve his ratings against Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show.

As I squirmed in my chair last night while listening to his so-called apology to his wife, Regina Lasko, I began to think that Letterman is going to milk this to death the way radio personality Howard Stern used his personal shortcomings to attract listeners. We are a voyeuristic society and this wouldn't be the first time a celebrity used negative publicity to obtain a positive career result.

Letterman last week said he wasn't going to talk anymore about his having sex with staffers or the criminal charges against the man who was going to blow the whistle on the talk show host. That promise didn't last long. As he has done with his apologies to Sarah Palin over some off-color jokes about her daughter, Letterman seems to want to cash in on his indiscretions. One or two passing references to the latest misstep would be understandable, but to turn the entire first part of the show into shtick seems a tad unsavory.

Letterman apparently broke some promises to people in his personal life. He's human. Most folks will give him a pass. He's a comedian, not a priest. But he has already broken another promise by prolonging this tale of sex and alleged extortion publicly on his show. If this drags on too long I will be switching over to Conan, not because I feel righteous about this stuff, but because it just gets boring.