What a brilliant way to stifle the cival discourse about Sarah's qualifications to be 2nd in Command: Palins sacrificing "their 17-year-old daughter's privacy...in order to smother a fast-spreading rumor..." but what will the Palin family do to obscure the fact that a President Palin would be a Trojan Horse for the NeoCons? Okay...they do have four more children.

As I've said before, I am tired of the noble posturing that implies we cannot explore whether this allegation regarding Trig Palin is true or not. The ethical implications for a person who could wind up running the country if the first in command became unfit or died are pretty unflattering if it IS true. But somehow its ignoble for us to discuss it. Everybody just hum a little happy tune and let Sarah Palin off the hook, even though her political views are based on the smug assumption that her party has the moral upper hand in child-rearing. Quite simply, f--k that! David, you sicken me. What a great journalist. Mayhaps you ought to spread a cape over the mud puddle of scandal that stands before Lady Sarah, as such fine gentlemen as yourself are apt to do. I for one want to know the truth and am honest enough to say that it DOES matter.

Lord forbid the McCain's and Palin's get into the White House, there would be no way of getting the country back on track for the benefit of anyone other than the top 10%.

The country needs Obama/Biden, who are hope for our country being united for the benefit of all, not just the top 10%.

Interestingly the Republicans that have commented are saying how proud they are that Bristol Palin is keeping the baby, or how she will be loved by her family. Yet, David Corn is correct that had this happened to a Democratic candidate the Republican pundits would have been all over the story like flies on honey. Far fetched? No. It is easy to criticize the other side, but when the shoe is on the other foot, words are hard to come by. Obama is correct that this should not become part of the politics, but unfortunately, it has and it will continue to be especially on the Net. What this story reveals however is what we do NOT know about Gov. Palin that scares people. Someone who was mayor of a small town and then Governor of a small populous state for less than two months, a beauty queen, gun toting at that, and believes in abstinence before marriage - how ironic by the way, teaching of creationism in school, lest we forget the separation of church and state is the public persona that the Republicans want to portray this country as being. She sounds like a Dick Cheney in training. We've had enough of that. Her husband works for BP - no conflict of interest there? It sounds like a lot of the Bush-Cheney continuum - we need some true change, higher moral and ethical standards, and new world view to move beyond the narrow-minded and militaristic view of the last eight years.

Soap Opera yes, indeed, it is.

Thanks Palin for making us look even more ridiculous than Clinton has made us look, Bush has made us look and probably, and hopefully than anyone will ever make us look again.

Certainly, the republicans get away with murder. Why is that anyway? Serious question here.

Is everyone just going to ignore the fact that Bristol is still a child? The Palin's statement about adulthood is ludicrous. And what the hell happened to the parenting in that household? Were there no conversations about growing up first, or even if you do have sex, please use a condom so you don't have to sacrifice your childhood or education to raise a child before your ready to take on such an important responsibility? I would say the Palins had better re-think some things.

quote: "The country needs Obama/Biden, who are hope for our country being united for the benefit of all, not just the top 10%."

I'm for Obama because he wants to be president of ALL the people. Yes, even the top 10%, who contribute much hard work, knowhow, and taxes, have a right to fair representation. I'm for Obama because he wants to unify the country, not divide it. We're all using energy. We all need clean water and clean air, etc. etc., even the "top 10%".

"an investigation into whether Sarah Palin applied pressure to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaskan state trooper" - quote fom article in M.J. - will we ever see this addressed in mainstream publications and/pr public t.v.??

Lori Buel
Los Angeles CA

Looking back on their VP announcement, I find John McCain and Sarah Palin were very conniving and devious in how they used the infant to 'hide' the teenage pregnancy.

JMTij

In a critical decision of his campaign,picking a qualified vice presidential running mate, John McCain made an uniformed political gut decision. Sound like the decision making process of the man he wants to replace? He met with Gov. Palin maybe twice and I heard it reported he didn't even have the FBI run a background check. Now he'll have to deal the unintended consequences of a child pregnancy story coming to light in the middle of the republican convention.
If he becomes President the country will have to deal with any unintended consequences of his uninformed gut decisions.

David, just saw the replay of your earlier discussion on MSNBC sometime today. Do the repub. spokespeople have talking points they just repeat (executive experience, reformer,etc)? Also the repub. spokespeople don't seem to be very well informed. For instance the host asked if the repub spokesperson thought Palin was more qualified than Condi Rice. She said (my paraphrase) well, not on foreign policy but shes a reformer and certainly on energy, the most important issue right now. Does being gov. of Alaska make her an energy expert? furthermore Rice worked for Chevron(or unocal?) and has an oil tanker named after her if I recall correctly. Making the statement that Palin knows more about energy than rice seem pretty absurd.

(On a personal note nice to see you still around, I subscribe to mojo and have been a nation subscriber as well for many years)

Also, on the topic of this blog, I was a bit confused when the pregnancy thing was announced, as I had not heard the rumor. Then I heard the rumor and immediately wondered why they just didn't show a birth certificate or something. Why bring the teenage daughter into the spotlight at all by implying the baby couldnt be hers because she is pregnant now? Just a thought.

My understanding is that long time ago a woman called Mary magically got pregnant without fornicating. We could very well be on the cusp of discovering that magic does happen. After all, it seems that with the latest contraceptive based legistlative, they are stretching the issue that life begins in the egg even though, it seems biologically factual that even eggs need some magical elixir to replicate. ahh, they are now experiencing that beauty of separation of church and state, or should I say lack of in their campaign.

The McCain campaign has been furiously spinning this as a pro-life positive, talking about how happy the Palins have been with their daughter's decision to keep the baby. This has been echoed throughout the press.

What all the coverage has missed is that Palin's daughter actually had the opportunity to make the choice. If Palin had her way, her daughter and millions of women in this country would be forced by law to keep the baby.

Bill Maher said it best Friday night; "Doesn't anyone in the Republican Party know how to pull out?"

Let's face it, from when it comes to the issues, be it gay rights, sex education, the war, social services, and the list could go on for days...the hypocrisy of the Republican Party knows no bounds.

Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate Hate.
SHAME SHAME SHAME on ALL of you hypocrites for viciously attacking a young girl!

When Al Gore's son was caught with ILLEGAL DRUGS it was treated as a private family matter as it should have been.
So should this be.
Men have no clue and no compassion for what a woman goes through when pregnant especially under difficult conditions. But you women who are attacking are a bunch of AUNTIE TOMs. Get off your knees and stand up for women. I am placing women and respect above party this time. PALIN all the way.Women haters NO way, no how, not now.

Paul, I see that you learned the lesson that Panda Bear taught you about watching the potty mouth.

Beyond this being another egregious act of statutory rape that will not be prosecuted because it's a "private family matter," this silliness about the 17-year old daughter and the self-proclaimed redneck beau-soon-2-b-hubby is inconsequential to Palin's ascent. The former Miss Wasilla is unqualified to be the VEEP for way better, more legitimate reasons than her criminal sanctimony, selfrighteousness, and consummate hypocrisy. The truth is this bespectacled twit barely qualifies to be a Congressional page, let alone receive the Cheney Vader shotty to ride shotgun with Gramps in the 2nd waive of the new fascism a McCain Presidency promises to deliver.

I don't think anyone is attacking the girl. It's the hypocracy and irony of the mother and the republican party.

It's like gay senators who are not "out". If the press finds out a senator is gay, they usually respect the senator's privacy and won't out them - unless said senator is vocally against gays or supports anti-gay legislation.

The Palin daughter story is significant because Palin is an anti choice, anti sex education, pro abstinence legislator. That she has a pregnant daughter is relevant.

The Maven from Mayberry is going to tackle Moscow, but first...she's going to rewrite history: Mary and Joseph had a shotgun wedding because Mary belonged to the NRA. History repeats itself. This new perspective will give the Conservative Right something to rally around...for God's sake! As far as Trooper-Gate goes, remember Judas? He was only trying to take custody of the Twelve Disciples. We couldn't have that now, could we? So, back off!!! Pallin' Palin has got her AK47 ready to fight it out in the Holy Ghost Corral Amen.

It seems to me that the way to prove parenthood is with a signed and witnessed birth certificate, not by claiming your daughter is 5 months pregnant. What a horrible way to treat your daughter.

"Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate Hate.
SHAME SHAME SHAME on ALL of you hypocrites for viciously attacking a young girl!"

No one attacked the girl.

It is ignorance like this , thinking that because we feel a candidate should actually be educated and experienced for this office, and that we should know of the person in question, that we are being unkind. Nothing is further from the truth.

Fundamentalists use ignorance to further their cult, what's new?

People in power have always used such as these to gain control, exactly what we see happenning. They have a wide audience now.

Palin is truly ignorant. The rich and powerful know exactly what they're doing, and I don't believe Cheney does anything but play this to it's maximum to get power. Bush doesn't know what's going on, he is far too un-intelligent.

I don't think we need to pay for Palin nurses and nannies while she plays 'white house.'

This whole scheme is carefully considered to get fundamentalists moving, you can bet on it. No mistakes here at all.

The dems have to walk on egg shells to prevent making a hornets nest of fundamentalists, that's all we see going on here.

Political savvy at work in America by the rich and for the rich, sponsored by the ignorant.

Her kids are an issue, and so is she.

The environment is at risk because of greedy ignorant people such as these.

This situation is the epitome of a deficiency of women's rights This girl was raised by a mother who did not provide her with critical information to make an informed decision on her reproduction. Her mother has been quoted saying that if her then 14 year old daughter was a rape victim and became pregnant due to her attack she would not allow her to terminate the pregnancy. Her mother is the one who is toting a woman hating agenda, so if anyone is shameful look her way. I also find it ironic that the whole country is coming to the defense of this "poor privileged white girl," when thousands of little black girls find themselves in the very same predicament and they don't receive any of the compassion shown to Bristol. Now that is something to think about. Please get off of our misogyny soapbox, you are making us women look weak. When people put themselves and their families into the national and international spotlight, they need to be prepared for any and all of the repercussions.

Yes, Palin knowing more about energy than rice is absurd? Whats to know about rice. It grows in a paddy and comes in a bag. Or did you mean Rice?

"quoted saying that if her then 14 year old daughter was a rape victim and became pregnant due to her attack she would not allow her to terminate the pregnancy"

"not allow " are the critical words here, And why then if she can allow or disallow, has her daughter 17 year old daughter been 'allowed' to become pregnant?

She we deduce SHE' allowed' it?

I think perhaps because of lack of attention and education and so forth, perhaps she has contributed to it, as someone else suggested..

This woman is bizarro....do we want Bizarro Mom for VP?

What is all this crap about 'being forced to disclose the pregnancy to squelch rumors about the identity of Trig's mum...'

That kid is FIVE MONTHS PREGNANT. That's THIRD TRIMESTER!!! Any idiot with a pair of eyes and a brain would get a clue that she is pregnant! They 'disclosed' it because the kid is starting to show and rumors would be flying. Half of Alaska already knew about this anyway. What a crock.

Incidentally, he 'rumor' about Trig could have been squelched with a simple statement from the hospital that assisted with the birth. Guess why that option wasn't pursued? (Hint: Look down...)

And has anyone see the new info about the baby's father??? Marrying this idiot, self-confessed 'f'in redneck' who 'doesn't want kids' is what Sarah Palin WANTS for Bristol??? That is the best option she can come up with? She is setting up her daughter for hard road.

Kinda takes away their argument for Sanctity of MARRIAGE .... one girl...one f'n redneck boy.... yep....can't have gays infringing on that Christian-like image....

Rice.Condi Rice. Not long grain, white, or unenriched. Condi.

I agree that Bristol's pregnancy is relevant. She's an example of how abstinence-only sex ed doesn't help teenagers make appropriate choices about physical intimacy.

But I also want to point out how interesting it is that people think Trig (the Palins' Down's infant) might have been Bristol's. With Palin being a 44 year-old don't people know she's much more likely to bear a Down's syndrome baby than a 17 year-old?!?

Like i keep posting on Bill
Mahr's Overtime (codename
fisajoe), Palin was great
chess move by the leftist
neo-cons. It will help
divert attention away from
some of the things to come.
Like North Korea (KDB) buying
their way into the Federal Reserve like so many leftist
movements before them.
Shroder Banks (HItler),Ping
Coal Mining (China), Cuba
Cane Sugar (Castro),etc...

...I really could have sworn this was the year 2008 ..not 1958 but I must be wrong .... regarding some people anyway

PS 5th month is second trimester

I don't vote for women just because they are women! I'm voting for the person who I believe is good for all women, all men and for the whole country. Sarah Palin is not that person. There is much too much at stake in this election for that kind of thinking. It has nothing to do with her private affairs..so no hate there..It has to do with the issues, National and International. I hope people stop stoking this divisive retoric and start doing their homework before they vote!!!

As long as we're quashing rumors, let's stamp out the one that this was a "liberal" meme. The original reason for the rumor came on the first day that Sarah Palin announced her pregnancy to the Alaska press, which immediately expressed surprise since at 7 months, Sarah wasn't "showing" and corroborated by a friend of Sarah. Then it was a rumor that spread in the Republican controlled state legislature. Then it roiled a bit amongst her daughter's classmates.

For, you see, Sarha had the fortune of being slim at 7 months (at the time) and daughter Bristol the misfortune of having developed some tummy fat the prior year. And being only 1 month pregnant at the time, would not show.

So this is a rumor that started in red state Alaska. Notamong liberals, as seems to be the talking point.

ドロップシッピングAs long as we're quashing rumors, let's stamp out the one that this was a "liberal" meme. The original reason for the rumor came on the first day that Sarah Palin announced her pregnancy to the Alaska press, which immediately expressed surprise since at 7 months, Sarah wasn't "showing" and corroborated by a friend of Sarah. Then it was a rumor that spread in the Republican controlled state legislature. Then it roiled a bit amongst her daughter's classmates.

About Bristol being out from school because she supposedly had Mono - I read she was out for 5 months & elsewhere I read 8 months. I had Mono before. My doctor said it was the worst he'd ever seen. I was in bed a month, back to work 1/2 time in 6 weeks and finally completely over it in 2.5 months. If I was going to school, I could have been back in a month, easily. Looking at all the pictures and reading all the stories about Sarah Palin, it is VERY clear she faked Trig's birth. You can argue the "look" of a pregnancy, but not the behavior of a pregnant woman. Someone would have had an inkling. The pictures of Palin's other pregnancy, where she was absolutely huge, compared to this pregnancy. She wouldn't suddenly first show on the day she announces. It's clear she assumed Trig's birth to shelter her daughter Bristol. It would have been more honorable to assume raising Bristol's kid, instead of covering it up. Imagine where the GOP would be if Palin had! That could have been the whole election! Anyway, this story is never going to go away until the GOP proves otherwise. I am talking DNA. If what I am writing is not true, then the GOP should be proving otherwsie. The days they let add up - prove in itself the fake pregnancy is true. Frankly, no one trusts the GOP, for 8 years of reasons. Are these the people you want to be President? McCain who can't make a good unilateral decision? Palin who thinks the Lower 48 hasn't seen last season's Desperate Houswives?

Doesn't anyone see the rich irony in Babygate and exactly why McCain should be crucified for his pick of Palin for VP? McCain tried to link in peoples' minds Obama who is famous for his accomplishments to Britney Spears who is infamous for her misconduct by equating them as celebrities. Bristol Palin follows in Britney Spear's out-of-wedlock sister Jamie Lynn Spear's footsteps (or lack thereof -lol) and John McCain is linked to their infamy in a brilliant stroke of instant karma.

Please let's us take a moment and remember we know Palin for less than a week and John McCain wants us to believe that she is the best candidate for VP in the Republican fold.

Please also understand that we don't vote for Obama because he is black or Democrat. Same is that our disdain for Mrs. Palin does not come because she is a woman or Republican.

My reasons are these
1) I cannot vote for someone on a ticket that we have only a "quicky" relationship with. (4+ days)- Only 64 days left
before the elections.
2) Palin is overhyped
her governorship of Alaska with a staff off only 50 people, which meets 4-months per year, and a budget smaller than a New York Borough.
3) Drip-by-drip information from a Republican machine that we know can and should have provided the information about Mrs. Palin "vetted" data.
4) Hiding of information- they have professional press people in the Republican party
They and Mrs. Palin hid the pregnancy or pregnancies of her teenage daughter till the press broke it out.

Those who say we should not talk about this should remember that the VP will be working on policies that will affect not only the poor daughter's life but all of our lives.

The other thing that bothers me is that some people don't understand that if you have a daughter with a problem, you don't parade her through the public- that is called shaming your child.

5)Seems to me that Mrs. Palin is using religion and her family for political gain.

Can't wait till Nov 4.

I'm amazed that TV and print coverage hasn't focused more on Sarah Palin's decision to travel from Houston to Alaska after her water broke, when she was, by her own admission, carrying her fifth child, a significantly premature baby with Down's syndrome.

That she then chose to continue to a local hospital to have the baby (bypassing opportunities to go to larger hospitals in Houston, Seattle and Anchorage with more sophisticated neonatal care facilities) raises questions; but Mrs. Palin's decision to take the trip under the circumstances suggests a heartlessness that almost all would view as profoundly disturbing.

Almost certainly the media, especially the TV media, could find physicians who could clearly explain why her making the trip was unbelievably reckless behavior.

I, too, am nauseated by the apparent willingness of the press to follow the chaff dispensed by the GOP in this matter.

It may be that the pro-Obama press is holding back out of a desire to minimize the chance that McCain will dump Mrs. Palin, but I fear that may be wishful thinking.

Flaunting religion is often a cover for some very dishonest people. This whole babygate thing is very strange. I think there must be more to it than just hiding the motherhood of Trig. Maybe we should ask for a DNA test to see who the mother and the FATHER is.
I have known some very Pious families who were hiding incest behind their religious facades.
I have learned to distrust those who wave their bibles or their flags. Those who wave both really scare me.
Show me the DNA.

Re: The Political Truth

"The other thing that bothers me is that some people don't understand that if you have a daughter with a problem, you don't parade her through the public- that is called shaming your child.

5)Seems to me that Mrs. Palin is using religion and her family for political gain."

Pretty glaring isn't it?

I'd say it is 'Palin' Obvious!

The first question I wanted answered is this: Did Bristol Palin have a choice?

Accidents happen, and since the official Alaska birth control policy is abstinence - accidents will happen. The only thing that upsets me is what will happen to this young couple. Will this young man be able to support a wife and child? What happens to his plans for education? Not my life, not my problem but when my children were teens we told them that we prefer that they wait for marriage to become sexually active but we also told them about methods of birth control if they choose not to listen to us.

IS THIS ELECTION ABOUT JUDGMENT?
Sarah Pahin uses poor judgment and the GOP makes her out to be a hero!
The issue should not be about Sarah Pahin not having an abortion. The issue is that she did not have the good judgment to use birth control. Any intelligent person knows that when you choose to have unprotected sex at 43 you have a very high probability of having a child with Down Syndrome. The republicans are making her out to be a hero because she used the bad judgment not to prevent the pregnancy in the first place.

Has anyone considered the fact that this mother of five may very well become pregnant while in office? From what I gather, she doesn't support the use of contraceptives. This puts her religious beliefs and gender right out there and it needs to be discussed.

Palin says that in her 7th month of pregnancy her water broke just before a scheduled speech in Dallas-Fort Worth. Instead of going to a hospital, she delivered the speech and then returned to her home in Alaska - a trip of 6 to 7 hours flying time that included waiting for connecting flight from Seattle to Anchorage.

She then drove 45 miles home to Wasilla.

Maybe she should have named the baby Kegel.

It is time for preterantiy test. The Palin's should either submit to a praternity test or drop out of the race. Never before I have seen NO evidence that someone was pregnant and so much circumstantial evidence in the other way. If the test comes back positive, then the reps will have all the crying room in the world so they should be for this.

Palin's baby looks to large at 4 months to have been premature. How much did he weigh at birth? How long has he been out of the hospital? Premies ususally stay in the hospital for months.

But, I have seen photos of Palin looking pregnant on youtube.com.

She is 17 he is 18. In most states that is statutory rape.

Chris, I raised this point before. As a parent there is so much wrong with the Sarah Palin and Trig story that it grates my nerve. Like I said before on my other post on a previous subject, I welcome any medical professional to refute what seems to be untrue about her pregnancy.

This question about who is Trig's mother goes to the heart of Palin's candidacy. Here's a website that's trying to gather all the information available on both sides of the question:Who is Trig Palin's Mother? Let's not let the Palin campaign off the hook on providing more information!

I hate to bring up what may be a dead horse but i believe we have to stay vigilant about the mccain/sarah palin
craziness....trig may very well be bristol's this is more common than many may know,, esp in isolated parts of the country, i taught school in a very islated part of the copuntry and found this to be true in many instances, kids would tell me that they found out that the person they had been told was their mother was actually their grandmother and their "sister" was acually their mother
the secret pregnancy, traveling with a high risk pregnancy is this how right to life treat their unborn children, with disregard for the unborn babies well-being by flying so far along in the pregnancy.....somethings not right here on many levels...

Audrey Rasmusson, whom I know, asked "Did Bristol Palin have a choice?"

Yes. Bristol had a choice to go either to HEAVEN (by marrying her f**k-yeahing boyfriend and having his kid) or to HELL (by doing anything else). Thanks, Sarah!