Mother of 4 month old with Downs Syndrome.
Mother of several other children.
Governor of Alaska.
Mother of pregnant 17-year old.
+
running to be Vice-President of the United States of America

I don't think it's being sexist to ask whether she has a bit too much on her plate right now.

Way to go, liberal bloggers. Make us look like creeps.

Yeah, the McCain camp is already trying to tie Obama to the weird dailykos post, which wasn't even on dailykos main page, from what I could see.

Wouldn't it be something if Washington Monthly had influence over the course of politics that was equal to the volume of the output of its bloggers?

What. A. Mess.

Damn these Palins folks are multiplying like rabbits. Stop them before they procreate again!

Way to go, liberal bloggers. Make us look like creeps.

I think that this probably would have come out before the election even without the idiotic "Palin's the grandma, not the mother!" rumors. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if her daughter's current pregnancy was what helped push the other, stupider rumor along.

Can we at least ask Palin if she still supports abstinence-only education, or is that us being too meeeeaaaannnnnn?

Kathy,

Make us look like creeps? If Obama wass in the same situation, u think conservatives would have sympathy on him? c'mon

KathyF,

You don't need us to look like creeps.

The daughter is off limits. She is 17, and lots of teenagers make bad choices. It's how we deal with the consequences that matters. Her mother is *in the limits,* though, and I really have to question how much guidance she has given her daughter recently. More critical, the abstinence-only education issue should be a topic of debate at the VP debate. Does abstinence-only education work? Obviously not. And Sarah Palin obviously has a lot going on in her life right now if she didn't know that her daughter was having pre-marital sex until she found out about the pregnancy. Family first?

Couldn't agree more lampwick! As a mother I was appalled that she abandoned a 3 day old special needs baby to rush back to the Governor's office, then proceeds to drag that 4 month old baby on the campaign trail exposing it to who knows what kind of bacteria and viruses, now she's got a knocked up teenager?

Given Palin's stance on Abstinence Only sex education, this surely IS a campaign issue.

And it may be time to bring up the vulgar comments that John McCain made about one Chelsea Clinton not so long ago.

Suggestion: Biden should start saying that he's "pro-CHOICES", not just pro-choice.

"Now, there are different schools of thought on this, but I'm very much inclined to think a politician's kids are entirely off-limits for public scrutiny. Bristol Palin's pregnancy has no political relevance whatsoever."

Bristol's pregnancy, in light of her mother's avowed principles DO have political relevance. But, I think Democrats will be smart (and compassionate) to let people draw their own conclusions. If anything, simply saying that childbirth and personal decisions are no business of the government should suffice.

"That's nice, but if McCain has his way in office, the choice wouldn't be up to her at all. Roe would be overturned, and reproductive rights would be dramatically curtailed for every woman in America. "

Not exactly true. It would be dramatically curtailed for a lot of women in America, perhaps even a majority, but certainly not all. The vast majority of abortions occur in the first trimester and there will still be states remaining where a woman with well-off, well-connected parents living in a frozen bunghole like Alaska will simply be able to fly to to get the job done.

I'd like to know if McCain's team knew this on Friday. If so, what do they imagine the beloved Christianist base will think of her parenting?

Oh Boo Hoo! Republicans forced to respond unsubstantiated lies If it was a lie against Obama it would be on a 7-24 loop.

Exactly Cindy. Why aren't the wingnuts in a lather about the pre-marital sex? And what is the statutory rape age in Alaska?

It's a trick people!!!

Bristol dosn't have to "miscarry" the baby until after the election.

This is an attempt to make it look impossible for her to have been pregnant when Trig was born.

Genius of it is that she does not have to provide a shread of evidence that she is "five" months pregnant now.

Keep researching this folks!!!!

McCain doesn't have a running mate, he's got a soap opea.

The kid is off limits, but the fact that Palin ended up with a pregnant teenage daughter shouldn't be. Palin advocates for lots of policies that will result in more Bristol Palins. That's worth talking about.

Well, the other politically relevant piece of this is that Palin is reportedly a strong support of abstinence only sex ed. Looks like that's working out well.

Well, the other politically relevant piece of this is that Palin is reportedly a strong supporter of abstinence only sex ed. Looks like that's working out well.

Every election, I ask: "Is this the best we can do?" And every cycle it gets worse. It looks like we've reached new depths.

"(Palin is also a staunch advocate of abstinence-only education.)"

Does Palin now see just how effective abstinence-only education is?

I'm very much inclined to think a politician's kids are entirely off-limits for public scrutiny.

Agreed. The rumors concerning the Down syndrome baby were entirely speculative and distasteful.

However, imagine if the Obamas had a 17-year old daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock.

It would destroy his candidacy. Racism, you know.

I agree that a minor child is off limits. However, her mother had to know that the child is 5 months pregnant before she committed to the VP nominee role. She could not possibly be so naive to think that this would not come up. She put her daughter in an untenable position. I feel sorry for the daughter. She was sacrificed for the ambition of her mother and John McCain. And I don't think McCain or his people knew. They also would have had to think how this plays out. It makes his pick look even more political and expedient.

Taylor, "Conservatives would do it, too" is not justification for doing something you would otherwise oppose on principle. It stands on its own, and either it's okay to drag politicians' children into the campaign muck or it's not.

Palin should not accept her party's nomination.

The daughter IS off limits. And in deference to some here, maybe even Palin's parenting skills (and current challenges) are off limits.

But surely McCain's judgment isn't, and Palin's honesty shouldn't be either. Either McCain didn't vet Palen appropriately (as everything indicates), OR he knew her daughter was pregnant and didn't care (despite how it might embarrass the girl or even rile up the base), OR Palin lied to him because she wanted to be the VP choice so badly.

None of this looks good. Even if the fundy-Christian base are heartened by the fact that Bristol is keeping her baby, surely one or more of them are going to wonder about that full plate that "lampwick" mentioned and about whether or not the amount of time the Palins (please note I have included both Sarah and Todd here) have had for parenting has suffered since she entered what the GOP considers "big time" [ie. Governor of Alaska) politics.

I don't think they can spin this away. And now that Gustav doesn't appear as cataclysmic as Republicans have hoped, it won't be keeping McCain's horrific lack of judgment and the lack of seriousness with which he regards governing from being talked about.

Yeah, I think this is off limits. I think your point is correct, but I think we have to show compassion for Palin's children and grandchildren, even as they expose the hypocrisy of the parents (as most kids do :) ).

"McCain doesn't have a running mate, he's got a soap opera." -- Kuyper

Post of the Week!

Also,
didn't she have a contageous case of mono at the time?

If mt 17 year old was too sick togo to school, she would be too sick to be romancing someone and talking about marriage.

To all the responsibilities I listed above, add:

"studying at the feet of the master"

i.e. undergoing a crass course on every aspect of foreign and domestic policy she's not familiar with.

yeah, no one should ask anything of substance or otherwise of the McCain/Palin ticket.

He was POW!

This is the ugly side of the liberal blogosphere right here. Steve writes a reasonable post, and commenter after commenter goes overboard.

Sure, it goes without saying that if Malia Obama were 17 and pregnant, they would eviscerate Barack. But don't we aspire to a different morality? Instead of judging conservatives by their own Puritanical standards, we should judge them by our own tolerant standards. And by those standards there is no scandal.

Jeez. This shouldn't have to be said.

Soap Opera is right Kuyper. Operas that sell soap.

I love fertile women. Please keep talking about the teenage daughter, who is hot, by the way. The left cannot help itself. They have just out-victimed Obama.

2008 Electorate:
Blacks maybe 7%
Women better than half

We're living in Idiocy now. I better stock up on Gatorade for watering my plants.

Ironically, prior to Roe, there were only three states where abortion was legally available w/o justification, New York, Washington and—tada!—Alaska.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States#Statistics

To me the only legit question here is the one raised by Palin's own, apparently unplanned pregnancy. What are her views on contraception, and specifically Griswold v Connecticut, which first enunciated the privacy doctrine that Roe relies on? Should contraception be legal, as Griswold held, and if so on what basis, if not a right to privacy? Conversely, if she doesn't agree with Griswold doesn't that place her far far outside the US mainstream?

These family values pols like Palin make these issues a matter of public debate, so of course her own family affairs are legitimate topics. If she wanted these things to be private, she shouldn't run for VP.

Of course, McCain's people knew about this. This will play great in Jesusland. Nothing better than an old fashion shotgun wedding. F'n morons.

I think you all are wrong about this. This is not the fault of the liberal blogs. People are going to look for the truth. It looked like the girl was pregnant and she is pregnant. The Palins appear to have covered that up by dragging a tiny baby out in front of 15,000 people in order to cover up Bristol's belly. It's disgraceful.

McCain either knew or he didn't. Either way, his campaign now has a distinct whiff of the Jerry Springer show, with crazy family feuds and "whose baby is that" stories. The blame for this has to fall on McCain.

Imagine it were Malia who was 17 and pregnant. Would we lay into Barack and Michelle for being bad parents? That's the question to ask.

And for me, the answer is no.

Bristol's unwed teen pregnancy will take off some of the luster her mom has with the religious right. It was the scarlet letter crowd Palin was supposed to impress and now this news has to take them aback.

To be fair, she might be talking about making the decision to keep the baby rather than give it up for adoption. Since they then state that the couple intends to get married, I think this is a rational interpretation of the statement. If nothing else, I believe Palin is genuine in her anti-choice beliefs.

I think playing "gotcha" politics with a pregnant 17-year old is in very bad taste. Let's move on.

To be fair, she might be talking about making the decision to keep the baby rather than give it up for adoption. Since they then state that the couple intends to get married, I think this is a rational interpretation of the statement. If nothing else, I believe Palin is genuine in her anti-choice beliefs.

I think playing "gotcha" politics with a pregnant 17-year old is in very bad taste. Let's move on.

Sure, it goes without saying that if Malia Obama were 17 and pregnant, they would eviscerate Barack. But don't we aspire to a different morality?

Did I say otherwise? No, I did not.

I was merely reiterating the truism that:

It's OK If You're a Republican

And white.

Something very odd here.

The Repubs have nominees that have daughters who are lesbians or pregnant at seventeen. And the Republicans are the ones who are successful in portraying Dems as having values that promote these types of behavior.

What is the reason? dems are stupid? Repubs are smart? the american voter is dumb as a nail?

amazing.

Petorado, I hate to say this, but I think you've got this 100% wrong. The religious right will love Palin even more. Logic would led you to believe the opposite, but this crowd is not logical, it's tribal. They embrace their own even more when under attack.

Bristol is NOT pregnant.

She is a loving nursing mother of her child Trig. Just look at the way she looks at her baby.
She dosn't care that the spitup towel dosn't go with her outfit. That's mothering.

Look at the way the baby reaches for Bristol when Sarah Palin is holding him.

Come on people, the king has on no clothes!!!

Don't buy something that dosn't make any sense at all.

Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Palin must watch "Desperate Housewives". Wasn't that a plot line for the series? Course, we don't really need a desperate housewife as VP.

What Mary said at 1:08...

And:

The cryptid-rumor is no longer just on the nets.
Bigfoot is out of the freezer and being de-thawed by MSM:

See Andrew Sullivan's The Press is Asking Questions.

I don't give a damn about the sexual ethics. I just think that this is a family with a lot of family stuff going on right now, and it's no time for the head of the family to be throwing herself into a 70 day crash course on every single aspect of US foreign and domestic policy.

If she didn't have the 4-month old special needs baby or the wedding/pregnant daughter, I wouldn't say what I just said. But she has both.

And yes it's private. But for god's sake, this person could be PRESIDENT six months from now!

Yeah, it's an adoption thing.

The stories coming out of the McCain/Palin camp have more holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese. Or, Bush's attempt to explain why we went to war. Either way, this should not be dropped.

1. If she had mono and was out of school from December to May, how was she getting pregnant in March?

2. How do we know she's five months pregnant? Say she gives birth in March and not December, or as someone suggested above she "miscarries"- it will be too late to sway the election.

3. If she's only 3 months pregnant, maybe she was pissed off she was forced to pretend that her son was her brother and she got knocked up on purpose to spite her mom. Teenagers do crazy things.

4. Even if Palin's story is 100% true -- although no MD I know says that a doctor would let her get on a plane if she was leaking amniotic fluid 6 weeks before her due date -- one should surely question the judgment of a person who would risk the life of the child in order to give birth at home. If this were a Democrat, we'd hear about how she was intentionally sabotaging the baby because it was special-needs. But that's neither here nor there.

5. Surely if abstinence only education doesn't prevent teen pregnancy in an all-American Christian family like the Palins, it is an open question about its overall efficacy, no?

Now, this is certainly a minefield, but counting on the fact that Obama is not the hamfisted Kerry and Edwards who got burned on Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, the campaign will figure out a way to hit back in ways which make their points without seeming too harsh.

Remember, Bush was never tainted by the swiftboaters, but he sure benefitted from them. Bloggers will play the role of 527s this time. Bloggers undid the draft dodging story for the right and bloggers can undo the Palin fairytale for the left.

Keep digging, my friends. But try to be sensitive in how it's presented. The target must be Palin, not her daughter.

Liberal bloggers? That's rich. The story came from GOP circles in Alaska. May or may not be true. May or may not have simply been intended to inoculate the GOP from an unsavory truth. But hypocrisy is germane. Palin should step down immediately. She is a sociopath. Every other utterance has been a smiling lie. She is Rove in a dress.

I don't think news of the pregnant daughter is going to dampen enthusiasm for Palin on the religious right. After all, this plays to their script, doesn't it? Preach abstinence, but if the kid makes a mistake and gets knocked up, be understanding and forgiving and celebrate the fact that a 17 year old girl gets to have kids and get married and settle down to a life as mother, wife and caregiver a whole decade before most good women would get that privilege!

And the first to completely politicize this issue is ... the McCain camp: "The despicable rumors that have been spread by liberal blogs, some even with Barack Obama's name in them, is a real anchor around the Democratic ticket, pulling them down in the mud in a way that certainly juxtaposes themselves against their 'campaign of change,'" a senior aide said.

Way to sink incredibly low McCainites, using Bristol's pregnancy for political advantage.

I think the pertinent question is:

Is John McCain Insane?

It rhymes, and it is an issue that could affect every day Americans

Steve Benen wrote: "Sarah Palin told Alaskans during her gubernatorial campaign that she wouldn't support abortion rights even if her own daughter had been raped."

Let's be very clear about this.

If a rapist violently forces a woman to become pregnant against her will, Sarah Palin believes the government should violently force that woman to give birth to the rapist's offspring against her will.

Sarah Palin believes the government should be a rapist, or at least should partner with rapists in violently forcing women to bear children against their will.

None of this is off-limits because the Palins and the McCain campaign have used her "choice" as a way to prove her suitability for office.

First: both Sarah Palin and her daughter are "pro-choice". They chose to continue a pregnancy in the face of what some consider a good reason to get an abortion. Making the choice to continue the pregnancy is one of the choices. If you are just pro-life, you don't get any moral props for continuing a pregnancy, it wasn't a decision you made, it is part of your belief system. If there was a law against abortion, you don't get props either, the only choice is to not break a law and have an abortion.

Second: Bristol was not part of any of this until today, when her mother used her child's status as proof that Trig was not Bristol's child. How stupid is that? If anything, the fact that Bristol is now pregnant, only increases the possibility that Trig is her child. We now know that she has had a child out of wedlock. We now know that she has conceiled this pregnancy for five months (supposedly five). We now know that her mother conceiled her recent pregnancy for seven months. What is to believe here?

The easiest thing to believe is that this is the continuation of a big lie. What is needed is medical records, which the McCain campaign "must have" on Sarah's pregnancy and her daughter's pregnancy.

Palin has not denied the rumors about Trig. She instead announced her daughter is pregnant to "address" the rumors. Palin or the McCain team need to do this, and show some proof, before I believe she is not Trig's grandmother.

Private matter, I agree.

But, with the disastrous shape of the world today, anything that could stop a McCain pregnancy, uh, presidency, is fine by me.

My guess...this is a ruse. I expect palin to bow out this week. Palin will say its because she does not want to bring negative press coverage to the campaign, or make her family the center of attention, blah blah blah.

These questions of Palin and her children are completely legit.

Fundies don't want us to have choice as far as contraception and abortion is concerned. Whatever "choices" they have made for themselves and their families are the exact same ones they want to impose on the rest of us.

No abortion no matter what the circumstances and apparently no contraception either. This is what she wants for all women regardless of age. 44 with a career and family demands - no contraception and you must have the baby regardless. 16 years old - abstience only - but you have sex and get pregnant -you must have the baby.

This is what the lack of choices looks like writ large. It's totally fair to challenge Palin on them.

Abstinence only strikes again.

Like Andrew Sullivan said, if she wanted to dispel the rumor, all she had to do was release the hospital record from Trig's delivery. Pols release medical records all the time.

In Jesusland, having a pregnant teen daughter is a sign you're 'jes folks. Won't dampen the Palin ardor in the least.

I think the original "mom faked pregnancy to cover up daughter's pregnancy" stories were crazy, but they're not as crazy as the new "daughter fakes pregnancy to cover for mom's faked pregnancy that was to cover for daughter's real pregnancy" storyline. Seriously, people, give it a rest.

Liberals are not the ones who climbed up on the high horse of self-righteousness, hiding behind a smokescreen of "family values" and the cross. The rapid, hypocritical right did that. Pointing out the hypocrisy and the irrationality of their beliefs is fair.

I'm all for principles, but they're no longer part of the game. I'm all for rationality, but that is no longer part of the game. The rules the right plays by are simple: beat down your enemy by any means necessary and stand his throat until he is crushed.

If taking advantage of Palin and her 17-year old daughter could preserve choice for all women, you damned right I'd do it and apologize later.

The VP of the USA gives up her grandchild to adoption?

Nah, she would rather shoot lawyers.

I still think Palin's own mid-life pregnancy raises a legitimate question of whether it was the result of not using artificial birth control as a matter of principle. Do her pro-life views extend to being anti-artificial contraception as is the case for many in that cohort? And if so, would she be seeking to overturn Griswold as well as Roe, if she became POTUS? Both rest on the same privacy doctrine.

If the McCain camp knew, then when were they going to release this? Eventually this would come out.

Why did they not says this at the beginning and ask for discretion? They would have received it.

They cannot blame the nasty bloggers or the media or liberals or the tooth fairy . . . for goodness sake, the girl will soon be showing!

I just cannot believe they knew.

Another thought: if I knew my daughter was pregnant and I were uncomfortable at all with releasing the news, I would probably turn down the offer of VP. If I were not uncomfortable with it, I would have announced it immediately.
Just makes no sense.

Buffalonian @1.22pm.

I agree - this still has a long way to go to unravel.

Your point 4 though is key. Leaking amniotic fluid with an already diagnosed special needs baby 4 weeks premature and she flies for 8 hours instead of going to the nearest hospital? That's not the sort of decision making I need from a VP and potential POTUS.

This election is not about those in Jesusland voting for McCain - it's about the moderates and independents seeing McCain/Palin as too big of a risk -bigger than Obama and not wanting a bona fide fundie with no experience a heart beat away from the Presidency. The more Palin is seen as an ultra conservative of socal issues the more moderates will be repulsed by what McCain has presented them with and the better Obama will appear. Welcome to the big leagues Sarah!

Just got back from trolloping at the Harriet E, Miers School of Cosmetology and I must say this sounds like another classic in the Harriet E. Miers course of opt-outs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HarrietMiers.jpg

As a parent, I am appalled that Palin would accept the nomination knowing how this would put her child in the spotlight under these circumstances! What narcissism! What a self-centered, worthless woman! Any moral person with an ounce of self knowledge would have turned aside the ridiculous proposal to run for VP on the simple basis of lack of experience. But to put her family under scrutiny as it does and expose her child to the this type of scrutiny is heartless! Family values my a*s.

The fact that her teenage daughter is pregnant should NOT be used to prove that Sarah Palin Is A Bad Mommy. Even the kids of good parents turn up pregnant.

However, questioning Palin's policy positions because of her family circumstances should absolutely not be off the table. Palin is a vocal supporter of abstinence-only sex education -- is she still in favor of that? Does she support teen marriage? Does she think that the government should help out teenage mothers who don't have the same strong family support her own daughter does? Should the government help them graduate from high school? How about child care? (Palin already supports S-CHIP, so you'd only need her to reaffirm that position.)

There are plenty of policy positions for Palin to defend without trying to attack her personal life.

Yay Crusader. Yay! Save us from ourselves. Because we don't like incompetents, hypocrites and clueless hacks running our executive branch any longer. Palin is a sociopath; but this does describe a lot of republicans.

Ah, the leftist ghouls are at it again. Once again, no bounds are to be respected. Anything goes. Any rule, moral must be broken to elect Hussein. Karma's a bitch.

Abstinence-only crusader Palin's teenage daughter turns up pregnant and it's Obama's fault?

Can't you guys ever accept responsibility for your own decisions without blaming someone else? I guess your next post will be that Obama forced McCain to choose Palin. Because Blackazoid is just that powerful.

Karma's a bitch. -Crusader

Now so am I, and you ought not to talk about Karma lest it requite it's entire recompense upon your burden of right-wing douchebaggery. Here's a mirror Crusader, take a long hard look!

Karma's a bitch.

-Crusader

Now so am I, and you ought not to talk about Karma lest it requite its due upon your burden of right-wing douchebaggery. Here's a mirror Crusader, take a long hard look at who is ugly!

Responding to lampwick (first comment):

In fairness, "mother of several other children" and "governor of Alaska" are irrelevant to your point. Palin's oldest child is grown, two others look like pre-teens or early teens, and the youngest looks about 7. It's not like she has a group of babies and toddlers to take care of.

And your point about her being governor of Alaska doesn't seem to be relevant because any politician chosen to be vice-president would either already be holding high office or have some kind of serious professional responsibilities. Palin actually (as we all know) has far less than most.

Your two other points are well-taken.

I think I slipped up on my kiddie count above; I included Bristol in my points about Palin's other children. It's her three other children I was making the point about; didn't mean to include Bristol, because I think her situation does have relevance to Palin being v.p.

Orwell, when you are raped and become pregnant as a result, then you can come back and give us your thoughts on whether a woman who has been raped should be forced to have the rapist's baby.

"Orwell, when you are raped and become pregnant as a result, then you can come back and give us your thoughts on whether a woman who has been raped should be forced to have the rapist's baby."

And what if the child finds her dad was a rapist? You think that would be fun fact to know about oneself, Orwell?

Or is it simply you think rape is OK, and the bitch was asking for it?

Looks like that abstinence-only education really worked out well for her daughter there.

After all if a girl is raped then we should absolutely kill the child because it doesn't deserve to be born because of the bad things it will do to the mother.

That's right, Orwell -- if the woman was stupid enough to let herself be raped, then she deserves everything she gets. Why should she be allowed to escape the consequences of her rape by getting an abortion? Heck, she shouldn't even be allowed to put the baby up for adoption. She should be reminded every day that she was stupid enough to let herself be raped by being forced to raise her rapist's child. Because finding out that your mother never wanted you and that you're the product of a rape is always a wonderful moment for a child.

Here's a question: if you are opposed to birth control and opposed to even telling teens that birth control exists and opposed to abortion if your teen gets raped, should the teen who is about to be raped tell the rapist not to use a condom? We all know that birth control itself is a form of abortion. She really shouldn't compound the rape by using birth control/abortion. Two wrongs don't make a right. God intelligently designed the universe that way 6,000 years ago.

Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago that the right wing blogosphere was in a tizzy because the MSM wasn't picking up on John Edwards' affair? Now all of a sudden, family privacy has to be respected.

Overturning Roe would not make abortion unavailable to American women. It would leave it up to the states. I'm vehemently pro-choice, but I still think we should have a care to present our argument accurately here. Roe ensures abortion rights in all states, and that's all. Let's not conflate over-turning it with a constitutional amendment against abortion.

The basis of Roe, the protection of privacy ensured by the Constitution, is then lost. Since the argument against abortion is so personal and so irrefutable in many cases ("God says it must be so"), our strongest rejoinder is, "Because the Constitution says it must be so." Arguing with people's religious beliefs is an unwinnable battle, and frankly, it only inflames those who hold those religious beliefs. Arguing the finer points of our nation's creed, well... that's something we not only have a system for, it's something on which we have the higher ground.

Remember, only one official campaign is using a candidate’s child for political gain. The rumor was started by some wacko on the internet. The McCain campaign decides they need to address it. They could have said the rumors are not true, end of story. The personal life of Bristol isn't anyone's business, but THEY decide it would help them by announcing to the world that she is pregnant. They DID NOT have to do that. They are the ones using their child as a political tool, not Obama and not the DNC.

What scares the hell out of me is the number of right wing posters who say that they love Palin and will vote for her because she's just like them....that she represents the average American. Don't they remember the calamity with the guy they thought they could have a beer with?

What happened to this country?

I'm inclined to agree with you that candidates' children are off limits . . . unless you make your superior family values one of your top two qualifications for office. Then, I think you have invited discussion and can't evade the consequences with an indignant huff about the privacy that you have yourself already, intentionally and cynically forgone.

"Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said."

There is more than one way to not keep a baby. One of them is to give it up for adoption.

WHY ARE NOT CHARGES BEING BROUGHT UP AGAINST GOV.PALIN'S DAUGHTOR'S BOYFRIEND.
AFTER ALL, THE GIRL IS A MINOR.

WHY ARE NOT CHARGES BEING BROUGHT UP AGAINST GOV.PALIN'S DAUGHTOR'S BOYFRIEND.
AFTER ALL, THE GIRL IS A MINOR.