Why a Fox News Host Attacked Letterman Over a Sarah Palin Joke

Fox News' Greta Van Susteren dedicated an entire segment to criticizing David Letterman for making a joke about Palin and her family, but Van Susteren didn't mention her political ties to the Palin family via her husband.

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza recently revealed that Van Susteren's husband, John Coale, is one of “the figures charged with guiding Palin’s political image in Washington:

Coale, in an interview with the Fix, described himself simply as a “friend” of the Alaska governor but acknowledged that he suggested she start a leadership PAC and helped
her navigate through some of the questions surrounding her family that lingered after
the campaign.

Others familiar with Palin’s political team insist that Coale has far more power than he
is letting on — essentially helping to run Sarah PAC. Coale demurred on that front,
noting only that  he talks to Palin regularly and that she is a “fascinating person” who
is “definitely not what the right thinks or the left thinks.”

According to a Nexis search, starting on the day that Sarah Pac was announced, Van Susteren has never disclosed her husband’s behind-the-scenes role on air. Here is
how she reported the announcement of Sarah Pac:

VAN SUSTEREN: Does Governor Sarah Palin have her eye on a presidential run in 2012? There’s one more clue tonight. The Alaskan governor has her own political action committee up and running–www.sarahpact.com went up on the web this morning.
Governor Palin says the pact is dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation.
[Fox News, 1/27/09]

Appearing on "The O'Reilly Factor" last week, Van Susteren decried people thinking she’s “so close to the Palin family.” “The only way that I’ve met them is by interviewing them,” she said, never mentioning her husband’s relationship to Palin.