VAN SUSTEREN: So where is the feminist outrage over this? We called "MS" magazine. They had no comment. We asked the National Organization for Women to send someone to appear on our show. They declined but then added Letterman to its Web site's "Media Hall of Shame." But is this enough?

Joining us live is Jane Swift, the former governor of Massachusetts. She is the first woman to ever hold that office. Good evening, Governor.

JANE SWIFT, FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR: Good evening, Greta. How are you?

VAN SUSTEREN: Very well. Governor, let's start first with David Letterman. At least the way I listen to him, he seems to think it's OK what he said if he were talking about an 18-year-old instead of a 14-year- old. Yes or no?

SWIFT: No. I think Barbara Walters had it right. And apparently, the politics of personal destruction has now morphed into the politics of family destruction. And what kind of people are going to run for political office, men or women? Although this seems to happen more to women. What kind of women are going to run for leadership positions if this is how they can expect their minor children to be treated?

VAN SUSTEREN: Where are the feminists? And I'm a feminist. I have defended Secretary of State Clinton, Governor Palin from personal insults, not on policy. They're fair game for policy. But where are all the feminists in their outrage? Is it because this is the child of a Republican?

SWIFT: You know, who knows what it has to do with party politics, although I think Rush Limbaugh should get credit for standing up for a common standard of decency, and I doubt there are many liberals who will recognize that. But the truth is, it's wrong. It was a bad joke. David Letterman maybe should go back to his "Stupid Pet Tricks."

And I think the other thing people are missing is this isn't, like, an unscripted moment. This is a joke that's written beforehand and that he chose to deliver. And I think that carries with it a special responsibility versus perhaps just saying something that you later regret. And in terms of an apology, this is what constitutes an apology, "I'm sorry."

VAN SUSTEREN: You know what I found interesting about it is that he made -- and I took notes on it. He said that -- something that -- about the fact that she was knocked up by the Yankee. And incidentally, it was the 14-year-old that was there at the Yankee game, not the 18-year-old, although I don't think that makes any difference. But he said, "knocked up," and used that as rape and making fun of the 18-year-old, when the irony of it is, is that the mother of his child was, quote, "knocked up" and he didn't marry her until last March, when the child was about 5 or 6, so he's the worst hypocrite on this.

SWIFT: Well, and violence against women is never funny. And so saying things like somebody being knocked up or raped, particularly when you're using those words to try to so-called apologize or regret what you said, it's just not appropriate. None of us would want anybody to say that about our children and none of us would tolerate it.

VAN SUSTEREN: Imus -- Don Imus said horrible things about that basketball team, that women's college basketball team, it was at Rutgers, which was terrible. And there was an unbelievable public outcry, as there should have been, as there was. Where -- is this going to happen with CBS? Is CBS going to get it, or do you think they're just going to let him off the hook? Oh, I thought it was an 18-year-old and it's OK to say those things about 18-year-old women.

SWIFT: Well, you know what, Greta? Thanks to you and to "The View" today, to give them credit, hopefully, the popular opinion will come to bring to the attention of CBS, and you know, to David Letterman, who I'm sure is a -- you know, a decent person, that what he said was wrong. An apology is warranted and he probably needs some new joke writers.

VAN SUSTEREN: But he -- it's funny. It's, like, you know, he had his chance to give his apology. You know, I'm not sure he really gets it because he was dripping with sarcasm. And I was dripping with sarcasm when I started the show. But he says that -- you know, he thinks it's OK because it's 18. I don't think he gets it, so I wonder if CBS gets it.

SWIFT: Well, hopefully, enough voices will speak out so that they get it. This is not about whether or not she's -- first of all, it's not about whether she's 18 or 14. It's about family members shouldn't be subjected to this kind of vulgar discussion of their private lives. That's number one.

Number two, if that crosses the line, which I believe and I think many decent people believe it does, it was clear that the person who was there was her 14-year-old daughter. And again, the Imus show is unscripted, right? Imus said something probably in the heat of the moment that he has apologized for, he has made amends for. He went and met in a private setting with those young women and got to hear from them how that hurt them. I don't think that that's the kind of that David Letterman has gotten to and that he needs to understand.

And when something's a written joke, somebody could have figured out that it was a 14-year-old girl. And since when is it a criminal offense to sit with your mother at a baseball game when you're a 14-year-old girl? In fact, to me, that's a pretty nice thing.

VAN SUSTEREN: And to repeat, because I know some people are going to disagree with me, but I want to repeat I'm a feminist and I think women candidates for office and women in office should get aggressive grilling by the public but that it should be fair, never go into sexism and certainly not pick on the children. And David Letterman, I really don't think, gets it and I hope CBS at least does something. Governor, thank you.

SWIFT: Happy birthday -- belated.

VAN SUSTEREN: Thank you very much!