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Did Kathy Griffin make a mistake when she made a joke about Bristol Palin's weight?

Clearly.

Is Palin off-limits when it comes to being the punch line for comedians?

Absolutely not.

You could, perhaps, argue that Sarah Palin's 20-year-old daughter was off-limits when she was 17 and just a vice presidential candidate's child. Even though the candidate did seem to trot her children out when it suited her and then demand they be left alone when it didn't.

Since then, Bristol Palin has appeared in an episode of "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" to preach abstinence. She's gone on talk shows ranging from "Today" to "Tonight" to "Oprah" to "The View." She signed on as a contestant on "Dancing With the Stars." And she's made plenty of profane, public Facebook postings.

Bristol Palin has made herself a public figure.

So if Griffin wants to make a bad joke about her weight or if Keith Olbermann wants to name her that day's "Worst Person in the World," it goes with the territory.

You can certainly argue that Griffin's joke — "She's the only contestant in the history of ('Dancing') to actually gain weight. She's like the white Precious" — wasn't funny. I would agree with you.

And it's a no-brainer that delivering the line at the "VH1 Divas Salute the Troops" was not smart.

I like Griffin. Her series "My Life on the D-list" is hilarious.

But, like all comedians, some of her jokes fall flat. This was one of them.

However, the criticism that came her way was, in large part, politically motivated. In the same performance, Griffin made a fat joke about another celebrity — saying that Jessica Simpson wasn't there because "she couldn't fit in the hangar."

Where were all the complaints about that line?

It goes both ways, of course. Olbermann was being political when he criticized Bristol Palin on MSNBC, mocking her for promoting abstinence when she was an unwed teen mother.

We could debate his point, but — like it or not — Olbermann had the right to make it.

To suggest that Bristol Palin is somehow above being criticized and made fun of is, well, un-American. Free speech means we have to put up with unfunny jokes and political views with which we don't agree.

To suggest, as Elisabeth Hasselbeck did on "The View," that Griffin making jokes about Bristol Palin is "something that she needs to cut out" because "it's bullying" is ridiculous.

When you put yourself out there — as Bristol Palin has — you're going to be the butt of the joke. You're going to be criticized.

You're going to be "bullied."

Just the way I'm going to be "bullied" for writing this column.

It goes with the territory.

Scott D. Pierce's column appears Mondays and Fridays in The Mix. He can be reached at spierce@sltrib.com or 801-257-8603.