We barely raise an eyebrow when our elected officials (or those trying to become elected officials) have affairs...or children out of wedlock...or encounters in public restrooms. Why would we care if a late-night talk show host (who has garnered fame and fortune making jokes about affairs, children out of wedlock and encounters in public restrooms) had sex with employees before he was married? It should all add up to a big so-what. So why doesn't it? Here's my Top 10 list of why this story has become so big so fast:

Continued...

10. There may be more to it. As the criminal case develops, it may be revealed that Letterman's indiscretions started as sexual harassment more than as consensual affairs.

9. No matter the circumstances the majority of the American people enjoy seeing famous, rich people fall from grace.

8. With recent guests like President Obama, The Late Show was trying to become a more serious/influential program and this incident diminishes its credibility.

7. Letterman's own publicity machine may be playing up the incident to increase ratings. His numbers surged 22% Thursday night when he made his revelations about the affairs and the blackmail attempt. (source)

6. His competitors are playing up the story in an attempt to boost their own ratings. Letterman's longtime rival Jay Leno kicked off his monologue Friday with "If you came here tonight for sex with a talk show host, you've got the wrong studio." (source)

5. Sarah Palin was right when she said Letterman was not cool and not funny to demean women the way he did. Call it revenge of the Slutty Flight Attendant brigade.

4. The American people have sunk so low that this is entertainment. Look at any reality show and you'll see the more publicly humiliated a contestant is, the higher the ratings and the louder the buzz the next day.

3. Breaking on a Thursday, this is the perfect type of story to fill a slow weekend news cycle. The 24 hour news networks will be able to speculate and opine on this for days along with showing plenty of accompanying video available.

2. The Creepy Factor. During Letterman's statement on Thursday he said that he had to testify before a grand jury about "all of the creepy things that I had done." (source) We wonder what made these things creepy. Merely cheating on his longtime girlfriend and the mother of his child or are there more salacious details to come?

And the number one reason why this story has become so big so fast:

1. Karma. A man who has made a very good living ridiculing others and making light of their personal problems is now getting a taste of what it's like to be on the other side of the scandal.