Well it looks like the Palin attempts to play the victim have had the desired effect.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter, who’s taken up the mantle as CNN’s unofficial ombudsman, said that fellow anchor Carol Costello deserved the widespread criticism she received last week for laughing at audio of Bristol Palin describing a drunken brawl. 

“If you’re sitting at home shaking your head at the way she handled that, you’re not alone,” Stelter said.

Actually if you are sitting at home shaking your head it is only because you actually believe that Bristol Palin's version of what happened to her that night bears even a passing resemblance to the truth. Which it does not.

The problem with the media is that they STILL seem to think that the Palins are capable of telling the truth, and the fact is that they are absolutely NOT able to do that. About anything.

But that point seems to be lost on some in the media. Including Joe Concha of Mediaite who said the following:

So should Costello–a straight news anchor and not an opinion host–apologize on the air Monday morning? Yes. Note: She has only done so in a statement to Politico, which hasn’t silenced her critics. 

But will she? Yes…because she has no other choice. 

Why? Because it’s the only way to defuse the controversy swirling around her. 

A controversy it must be remembered that was created by the same Right Wing media that sprang to Palin's defense after David Letterman made a fairly innocuous joke about Bristol, suggested that I should be sued after my Splitsville post, and dug a conservative media moat to protect her after her blood libel statements following the attempted murder of Gabby Giffords.

And while I am on this topic I want to bring up the fact that The Daily Caller's Matt Lewis, who you briefly saw in that Morning Joe clip, completely manufactured the allegation that Bristol Palin might have possibly been sexually assaulted by Kory Klingenmeyer out of whole cloth.

There is NO allegation of that from any witness, nor even from the Palin clan, though honestly it is probably because they did not think of it themselves.

The scuffle between Klingenmeyer and Bristol happened in front of dozens of people, and not one of them even backed up the fact that Bristol was physically assaulted by the homeowner, much less sexually assaulted by him.

And yet that same charge has been repeated in comment sections of blogs and news sites all over the internet.

Carol Costello is certainly not deserving of the vitriol that is currently directed her way, but Matt Lewis deserves all of that and more. Much more.