Should the media stop asking questions about Sarah Palin's background and family?

This is an excellent point. The choice of Palin, apparently rather last minute, says much more about Mcain's decision making than about Palin. I think we should be focused far more on that. Mcain's reactive style is his biggest (obvious) hindrance. And here he goes again. Not good.

You're right. We need to find out everything possible about her and her background if there is even a possibility she could be a future President of the U.S. As potential vice president, that is very possibly the case. Her running mate is 72 years old and she would be next in line. She is against sex education and for abstinence education, but can't even teach abstinence to her own family. Does that say something about her ability as a possible future president? If she can't even get her own daughter to listen to her, how is she going to get the people of the United States and the WORLD to listen to her? The primary power of the presidency, after all, is the so-called "bully pulpit." She's a reformer? How about all the lobbyist money her campaign accepted? How about the oil money she accepted? How about the pork barrel spending she promulgated for Alaska? That's not a reformer, that's just more of the same!

Just because the media wasn't in on the decision process doesn't mean it was a last minute thing. I remember the media being put off about not being privy to the selection process of either party. And I think it's clear that he didn't pick her for experience (of which he has plenty enough to go around) but because if you want to fix the country, you have to fix the machine that runs the country. She DOES have plenty of experience exposing corruption (mostly from her own party). And all those who are now worried about her inexperience for the VICE presidency should have a good understanding how the republicans feel about even less experience in the PRESIDENCY. At least she has experience dealing with budgets, funding, schools and everything else a governor deals with. I think we're getting ripped off by both parties.

This is a VP candidate who was a mayor of 6000 people, and only got 117,000 votes for Gov (an office she held for less than 2 years), has NO foreign policy experience, got earmarks to make her state the #1 earmark-to-capita state in the union, tried to ban books from the town library, wants to outlaw ALL abortions regardless of the woman's mental or physical health, and was a member of an organization to secede Alaska from the US. Forget gender. This candidate is WRONG for AMERICA! McSame's first major presidential decision was to hastily choose Caribou Barbie as a 2nd in charge??? To use a sports analogy, a real coach NEVER lets the fans pick the quarterback. McSame is NO maverick, he let the right-wing nut jobs pick his VP running mate. He may be stuck with her, but WE are not!!

Agreed, By the way, was Obama a mayor or a governor before his bid for president? seems to me that Palin actually has more experience than him in the political world.

Where have you been for the last 18 months . . . watching Fox News? Obama has gone through this too, and the GOP wasn't too kind to him. Get what you give. How many of you crackpots have called him a Muslim? And so what about his drug use -- he among us who has no sin, should not cast the first stone . . . Like Bush wasn't blowing lines and Cindy McCain hasn't been been hopped up on goofballs.

I agree that the media has a right to inform the public about the candidate, but not the candidate's family. Her family only comes into focus if they push the "hockey mom" image, then whatever twists and turns occur in the family life are applicable. But this is the media probing, not the Democrats. Sen. Obama made it clear that her family was off limits. Had the shoe been on the other foot, had she been the Democrat VP candidate, would the GOP shown the same class. Likely not. I think she was a rushed pick to try to pick up disgruntled Hillary supporters (look at the ads the GOP ran after Biden was named). But the fact remains that she is running for, arguably, the second most important political position in this country, in a position to affect all our lives. What she has done in the past is important. Informing the voters is important. We should be allowed to make informed decisions, not just cast a vote because of gender or race.

I agree. The question is worded wrong. This way you can slant a poll in any direction you want it.

I think what I find the most amusing is the fact that people really assume to know exactly what has went on with the vetting process and McCains decision. We don't know how long they've been looking at Palin or when he did choose her. Are people really concerned about this process or are they just upset that McCains campaign has gotten some fire under it now?! With the obvious attacks from liberal media, you have to wonder! What we really need to concentrate on is her views, yes research her background, her policies. If you really research on the things shes done in Alaska she has alot to offer. But it seems that some won't look for anything good to say. And do any of you seriously think that your parents should be held accountable for your decisions and mistakes?? There have been far more questionable moments for Obama, and he's never had these kind of attacks. Whats wrong with this picture?

Thank you.

Some questions regarding her family are relevant if they overlap into her political views and ideals. Personal life put aside as none of the voters business, the investigation into her abuse of power regarding her brother-in-law should be publicly scrutinized. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with questions of ethics, family can (and should) come into play.

You are absolutely right. I am glad there are people that can see the wording of the media for the incorrectness it brings, for the fact she has been asked to be the VP running mate, I would want to know her history. Her 17 year old was not named the VP running mate and the media should have a few more morals in their quest for a story

I am a registered democrat and I must say as a black woman in milwaukee wisconsin I am ashamed at how the mainstream media has attacked this woman's family. McCain has vetted Gov. Palin for 6 months and I'm noticing that many of my fellow democrats have completely lost touch of all facts with this selection of McCain's. It's really disgusting and I wish the personal attacks on her family would stop. This is sad site to see the unfairness from a party I thought we were trying to make things fair. We are acting just as bad as the good ole boys by excluding and attempting to destroy peoples lives.

Katrinalimited.com

She's the one who entered public life, she stresses the pluses of being able to manage family and work, being a soccer mom, sportswoman, etc.. Now that some not so positive things come to light about how she may have managed her family duties it should be an off limits topic for discussion. I some how think if the shoe was on a democrats foot there would be no end of republican blogs saying how if they can't even manage their own house how could they manage the country. Don't tell me it would be off limits didn't they attack a 3 time purple heart winner?

I agree we need to know everything we can about her, how she voted what she stands for how much sway her religious beliefs have had on her votes in the past but leave her children and family out of it they are not running for office.

Chelli, I agree. The question is worded incorrectly. We do need to know her background so we have the ability to make an informed decision when voting. Let's stop verbally abusing her family. Is it really necessary, from both sides, to do the name-calling, mud-slinging, etc. that is going on? We should all remember 'there but for the grace of God go I'. I know...we're not all running for VP. But we are all part of the human race. Let's use our intelligence for something more than being just plain mean. Educate yourself with facts, study the candidates and issues, vote more than just issues, vote your conscience once you study. And these discussions are not studying, they're reading personal opinions.

The fact that McCain defied all indicators at the last minute and pick Palin is, in my opinion a strategy that will back fire for him. He had to have forseen the questioning Palin and the campaign is receiving. I applaud Palin for having what appears to be one of the more typical American family's in stead of a hidden political family where every secret is brushed under the rug or kept in a closet. However just because she has been open and honest and presented herself as human with a typical family in today's society - does not qualify her or anyone else for the job of Vice President. Stop the Slander of her family - YES! Stop asking questions into her backround incluing her family if it is pertinent - NO! To stop asking questions would be to become accepting of whatever we are handed as American's and as people. To question, to become informed and to make the most sound judgment that is in the best interest for the United States of America and it's citizens is the duty of every American. For anyone, Republican or Democrate to insinuate that process should stop would be against what this country was founded on. However to slander someone in the process is nothing but criminal. Leave the family alone unless pertinent and continue the questioning of the possible elect.

Sarah Palin started the whole thing about family when she put her Disable child out front trying to get sympathy from us women voters. If she's allowed to use the disabled child why can't the pregnant teen be used? What kind of mother explots her disabled child? And to think she could be president if John McCain wins and is not able to complete his duties as president.

The way the Republicans and the media are handling issue with Sarah Palin's pregnant 17 year old daughter is bogus. When Brittany Spears 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears was found to be pregnant the media ripped her and her family apart. What's the difference, 1 year or the fact that Jamie Lynn's mother was not running for VP on the Republican ticket.

Also the tax payers have been footing the bill on the war against teenaged pregnancy for years. Now are we going to get a refund since teen pregnancy is not an issue anymore?

Linda Maxwell....

Your really bringing up impeachable offenses from Clinton? Fine he got his rocks off and so did JFK if you want to go down that road, but we as tax payers are now paying for a war that was based off total lies. We still have yet to find any "weapons of mass destruction", hell Bin Laden is still out there and we're in Iraq?

Thousands have died over Bush's lies, we're in debt up to our eyeballs because of Bush's lies, he has commited war crimes by water-boarding (a crime Japanese Military commanders were tried and convicted of in WWII), stomped our civil rights with illegal phone taps, allowed the cost of gas to more than double while at the same time continues to give billions of dollars to the oil companies, and the best thing you can come up with is CLINTON cheated and then lied about it? Really?

Choosing life does not simply mean choosing NOT to abort. It means choosing to love, nurture and raise a child OR giving the baby up for adoption to someone who will.

In reality, for many families, it entails taking advantage of maternity leave or the family medical leave act that women had to fight HARD for! In reality, many mothers will return to work at some point, ideally not until their children are school age or older, but for too many, that income is necessary!

Choosing life DOES NOT mean ABANDONING your infant days after it is born to pursue your ambitions that involve a HUGE time and energy commitment. (Doesn't Alaska have a Lt. Governor who could have stepped in for at least a couple weeks or months?) None of us at our jobs is irreplaceable! I cannot respect a woman, regardless of her experience, ability and potential, who has probably only spent minutes with her infant these past few days, and it will only get worse as the campaign continues and should she win the election! There is NOTHING like the loving arms and voice of a mother, not even a father, sibling, grandparent or PAID caretaker. I was horrified when I first there was an infant involved, even BEFORE knowing he had Down's syndrome!

The pregnant teenage daughter has not been slandered. The fact that she is pregnant was announced by her own parents. The media has repeated that she is pregnant, engaged and intends to wed. Doesn't sound like slander to me, just news.

You can say it shouldn't be a gender issue. A woman IS capable of being President of the United States. However, get your own house in order first. If you've been blessed with a pregnancy and choose life, follow through on THAT CHOICE FIRST.

There is no perfect candidate. There is no perfect voter. My right to choose will come on Election Day.

Happy blogging!

HELLO.....does anybody remember Kitty Dukasis, or say Mrs. John Kerry, or say Hillary Clinton when she was JUST the Democratic candidate's wife or Bill's brother who was dragged through the mud just as Jimmy Carter's brother was and let us not forget the exposure of Elizabeth Edwards when she is fighting for her very life!! I agree that if the platform on which she is going to run is "family values" then we need as much info about her family and how she handles crisis in that very small unit. Because the 'unit' she is attempting to head consists of 280 million Americans. After all if we were talking about some kind of fraud or other criminal offense there would be no talk of the media laying off, just the opposite would be true. People would scream LIBERAL BIAS if those types of issues were at hand! Given her lack of a national record and the short time in public service, unfortunately for her, her family is the only criteria we can use. And to the person who said having a pregnant underage, unmarried daughter is something many people can identify with....I agree, but many people are not trying to be a heartbeat away from the US Presidency in a particularly troubled time in our history!

TravisB,

Why don't you ask your buddies Nancy and Harry what they have done in the last two years in Congress to lower the price of gas. What do you consider a "Weapon of mass Destruction"? I guess not the gas that Saddam Hussein used on the Kurds. How many people have to die for it to be mass destruction in your book? Maybe if Bill Clinton was servicing the white house instead of being serviced he would have taken Bin Laden when he was handed to us on a silver platter. Oh, and by the way, Congress voted us into a war, not President Bush.

You need to study!!!!!!!!!!!

The reason there is so much talk about Palin and less about Biden is that Biden is a known entity. The ethics violations and family problems have already been out there. Palin is an unknown and it is our duty to learn all we can about her before we vote. The Republicans want us to follow blindly along, but we have had enough of that for the past 8 years. If after learning all the facts about Palin you still want to vote for her, fine. Go for it. But don't try to gag the media. She put herself out there as a family values candidate, so questions about her family are valid. It amuses me that the Republicans are so upset that the media is "throwing dirt" at their candidate. They are the kings of mudslinging! Obama was attacked for not wanting to wear a lapel pin, for God's sake. When the attacks are on the Democrats no one blinks. When they are against the Republicans all the charges of the Liberal media bias are dragged out. Give me a break.

I was hopeful we had learned from those mistakes in days past but it appears the left still wants to hold on to slander. If you sling the mud you best be prepared for it back but I believe this Republican duo is far above it all. I'm hopeful that it's just media bull kaka and it ends there.

I don't think that her family should be drug through the mud, but I do feel she is bringing a lot of it on herself, by using them in her speeches, as examples. I am concerned though about how many family issues she has going on, and how that will influence or take her time away from our government. We are talking 5 children, 4 at home, one of which is a small baby with down syndrome, and one daughter who is pregnant. If McCain did die in office, she would be our president and still have to take care of all of her children's issues on top of a country that is dealing with war, bad economy, and oil problems. I have 4 children, one of which is special needs, and I can tell you that it is a load and I honestly don't know how she is going to do it. So while I don't like seeing her family drug through the mud, there is still an importance of all that is going on in her life, and just how overloaded she is likely to be.

To WendyP (I couldn't write the reply directly to you), please keep in mind that your number is out of less than 240,000 actual votes (and she actually got less than 115k votes), and one of the four "third-party" candidates made a pretty decent showing himself. If you're going to spout numbers, try to remember all of them.

Oh, and I voted for one of the "third-party" candidates, and plan to do so as well come November.

Obama wants abortion to remain legal in case his daughter makes a mistake (his words). Yet his campaign and the media want to slam Palin because her daughter is pregnant and is keeping the baby.

I agree that the question is asked incorrectly. Her background is completely relevant and should be fair game. Her family shouldn't be an issue, however, there are topics where her family situation could be relevant insofar as it could affect her focus on the job.

VP aside, she's going through a number of significant life events -- a son shipping out in the Army, a 17-yr old daughter in her Senior year of high school while also learning to be a wife and mother to a newborn, and a new baby of her own with special needs. Those alone are a lot for anyone to take on all at once. Add to that the stress of becoming Vice President of the United States and learning (on the job) how to function in the world of Washington politics, and it's pretty clear that something has to give. Which will it be?

Question is biased. Interested in her background NOT her family. If we were interested in family no one would get elected.

THE POSSIBILITY THAT OUR VOTE MAY MAKE HER ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, REQUIRES THAT WE KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT HER AS WE CAN. OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OFTEN DISPLAY CHARACTERISTICS THAT REFLECT HOW WE BEHAVE AND THINK OUTSIDE OUR PUBLIC LIVES, THUS MUST BE OBSERVED AS WELL. PALIN AND HER HUSBANDS AFFILIATION WITH THE INDEPENDENCE ORGANIZATION, THAT WANTS ALASKA TO SECEDE FROM THE UNION, BRINGS UP SERIOUS QUESTIONS. EVEN OBAMA'S PREACHER WASN'T OFF LIMITS, AND THAT WAS FAIR.. LET THE QUESTIONS KEEP ON COMING, WE NEED TO KNOW.

And furthermore, it's clear that this was a desperate attempt by John McCain to enegize the Republican base. All of the issues that she represents are on the table. She's anti-abortion and made it clear that she has a special needs child, that's only a few months old, that she did not abort. She's for abstinence only education, with a pregnant 17yr old. Unfortunately for John, they're going to regret the rushed decision to put her on the ticket. She has a lot of baggage that will be exposed that cuts to the heart of McCains campaign.

She'll be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Getting that 3 AM phone call is important and we need to know as much as we can about her in order to make an informed choice as to whether or not she has what it takes to be the VP.

Palin is a big girl and if she can't handle the scrutiny and questions regarding her and her family now, how will she ever be able to handle the pressure that accompanies being a world leader?? I wonder how understanding Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and the other right wing nuts would have been if Chelsea Clinton would have gotten pregnant at age 17? They would have villified the Clintons as parents with no moral authority over their daughter and would have attributed her pregnancy to the permissiveness and failings of liberalism--and they would have done so with glee!! Isn't it interesting that even the kids of the moral majority have trouble with abstinence and just saying "No."

I agree that family is off limits. She is the question and should be questioned as have all other candidates for national office. She wants the media to lay off her family then brings the 18 year old boyfriend to the stage. Who is she kidding? She should be intelligent enough to know those kids will be followed around. I guess then the GOP can whine about how the bad old boys and liberal left wing media is being meanies. She loves the photo ops as she has since her first run for Lt Governor in Alaska. Photo op Sarah, at least she has finally started wearing a jacket other then red

I agree she is not one of the good old boys, she is one of he new breed of good old gals.

A spouse who advocated secession of her state from USA, Anti Sex Ed/Pro Abstinence with Pregnant Teen Daughter, Firing of Safety Commissioner for possible personal reasons. Sure we need to know more. What next?

Palin is a bad choice for Mccain period. When you enter PUBLIC office the gloves do come off. Any seasoned politician knows this. Mccain and Palin knew this. It is another attempt to pull votes. Pitiful shouldn't the laws that include child endangerment apply.

The parent and Mccain know full well what the mental complications can come from this. Do they really think that putting a 17 year old in the U.S. limelight pregnant and all is not going to add stress to this child and fetus. What about all the religious right wing nuts that may come after her and her child. For ruining the election for them.

To say go into this eyes wide open shows gross neglegence by Governer Palin. But hey she has done it before remeber her Ex brother in law. Mccain is surely a maverick this thinking shows it. Clear and Present danger here on this ticket..

This question was worded as badly as most survey questions, but it seems people were able to interpret it correctly and post appropriate comments. Her background is certainly up for public scrutiny; however, her family should be her own private business. She has been governor for less than two years and is already facing an abuse of power investigation (fact, not a fabrication by the "liberal media"). She has zero foreign policy experience (fact, not a fabrication by the "liberal media"). This appointment says much more about McCain's judgment, decision-making style, and refusal to listen to advisors than it says about Governor Palin.

This has Rove's stench all over it! Who is she?? she is supposed to be a heartbeat away.. not in my America

Yes, the media should look into Sarah's background and stay away from the family. Poorly phrased question. Many comments being made by all sides are inappropriate, yet Sarah knew this may be an issue and she decided to move forward.
My concerns are about Sarah and other things I have read. She is being put out there as a reformer, yet she (in her role as mayor) hired a lobbying firm and eagerly accepted 26 to 28 million in "earmarks" which Mr. McCann keeps campaigning against. Did he or someone in his group not ask her about this? And she now says she is and was against the famous "bridge to nowhere". Yet I've read she "was" a major supporter just a year ago.
As to her speech, let's raise the bar.

Just because the media didn't know about the vetting, doesn't mean it didn't take place. The media has not been doing their best throughout this entire process, they just can't admit that they were wrong with the speculation and over-thinking and THEIR decision of who should be McCain's running mate. This was one decision they didn't influence and got wrong! Seriously, does anyone really think anyone would choose a vice-presidential candidate overnight?

I'll take a pregnant daughter and a possible influence over a state trooper, with numerous years of executive experience in a vice-presidential candidate any day against a presidential candidate who has known associates with terrorists, slum-lords who pay him favors, who has no executive experience and who has plans to turn the US into the largest socialist nation on earth!

I'd like to see the response of the Democratic Party and the media if even one person questioned the ability of a mother running under the Democratic flag. Hypocrisy at it's finest!!

The hypocracy about her high school kid being pregnant is funny, and her other ethics issues are funny because she proposes to preach to the rest of us families about "values" and morality, while the rest of us are raising great kids who arent getting pregnant in Junior year. I am concerned about her 4 month old baby with down-syndrome. She needs to be come caring for him and breast feeding.

Although I have for many years been a hard core Republican, I cannot support this ticket. We have always stood for family values so how did we come to nominate 2 individuals who are such bad examples of family values and judgment. For speakers at the RNC to proclaim that John McCain is a man of character indicates how out of touch with reality this Party has become. Do we now proclaim John McCain a man of character and quickly forget that while at Annapolis he was a drunk, he is a womanizer even though his wife loyally waited for him to return from Vietnam only to be rewarded by a divorce and the knowledge that her husband took out a marriage license before the divorce was final. Cindy McCain is another wonderful example of family values. Sure she volunteered at a childrens clinic but it was swept under the rug that he stole drugs. Now Gov. Palin, another fine example. Although she did not support sex education in Alaska schools she should have had the common sense to teach her daughter that true family values are not exhibited by becoming pregnant at age 17. It seems that Gov. Palin's lauded communication skills didn't apply to her daughter who should have had the common sense to not get pregnant. Did any of you catch the comments of her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, on myspace that was abruptly removed this morning? He evidenced that he was a fine young man with character and a true belief in family values when he said "I'm an fu.......in red neck and I don't want to have any fu.......in kids". I looked at this election as a time for true Republicans to redeem themselves after the 8 years of deceit, lies, abuses of power, decline in our County's International standing and the continuing demise in our economy under the lack of management by Bush and Cheney. It seems that all the convention speakers keep talking about McCain's and Palin's character and belief in family values as if we are trying to convince ourselfs and McCain and Palin that they in fact have character, judgment and believe in familty values. Worse still all this chatter about their character, judgment and belief in family values make it appear that our candidates have no solutions to the devasting problems that face our country and that their goal is that the USA become a 2nd world country. What is wrong with McCain's advisors letting him say that he knows little abount the economy and to then allow him to delegate these significant issues to a former mayor of a town of 7,000+? Further Gov. Palin is as likely to attract the Clinton supporters as a bull is likely to produce milk. Have the heads of our party become such male chauvenists that we now believe that women voters in this country cannot tell the difference between Sen, Clinton and a Clinton wannabe?

randy your very mistaken, she got rid of the pork in alaska, she got spending under control and even gave a 1200 dollar rebate to the people of alaska. there is a reason she has an 80% approval rating. i agree that as a vp candidate her political record should be under close scrutiny but if your going to state so called facts you should check them out first. blindly stating false information is just plain wrong and irresponsible. as far as her 17 year pregnant teen i could care less, says nothing about her ability to lead, her experience speaks for itself..

"She needs to be caring for him and breast feeding"..... Are you kidding me? Does she also need to be barefoot in the kitchen? Palin is an extremely qualified candidate and to say she preaches family values and can't apply them to her own family is ignorant. Even the most attentive, loving, caring parents have kids who end up pregnant. It shows more about her character that she is supportive of her daughter and is showing her forgiveness! That is the sign of a amazing person! The fact that the media is making such a big deal of this is a sure sign that they know what a strong candidate Palin is and are trying to find something to overshadow it, that way people don't look at what what amazing things she has accomplished in Alaska! I have never heard anything more sexist that people saying that sarah will not be able to raise her children if she is VP! What about every past president who had children? Was that ever an issue? NO! I guess Obama won't be able to raise his daughters if he is president. But that doesn't seem to be an issue for you Democrats.... So, one would assume you don't value family at all. Hmmm very interesting. That must be why Obama never talks about his estranged brother.

Joe Kennedy had a partial lobotomy performed on his disabled daughter, did this make JFK unfit for office ? Stick to the character of the person. If JFK ran today he would have a hard time getting a job at Burger King for what his father did.

In reply to Choosing (#1.35 or thereabouts): Alaska's Lt. Governor was busy running his own campaign to be elected to congress. While the primary is now over, the official count isn't known yet as to whether or not he will be running in the general election. Can't really say if he can take over some of the Governor Palin's duties or not.

Agreed. Let's look at her voting record to begin with. I'm guessing we won't see 140 'present' votes like we see on Obama's record. We need to look at her resume...her qualifications to be Vice President. Her family needs to be left out of it. It's becoming easier to laugh at some of these snide liberals that are trashing her family and her choices as a parent. Until they start scrutinizing Joe Biden's 'parental choices' under the same light, they just can't be taken seriously. Afterall, he's a single dad of several kids. I don't hear anyone screaming that he shouldn't be running for public office but should be home with the kids instead.

THIS VIDEO SUMS UP PALIN'S LIFE TO ME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSKeuLRKkRw\

You are exactly right. NO FAMILY IS PERFECT and no one has 100% full time control over their 17 year olds. The only thing parents can do is to teach our children the best we can, we can not control their lives. Her daughter is not the VP candidate; Michelle Obama is not a Presidential candidate. Pundits on both sides should leave the families alone and go after the individual's histories and acquaintances.

Can anyone tell me one decision that Palin's made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard?

and before anyone answers, remember, try to stay focused, the question is about Mrs Palin... We get to Mr Biden in a minute...

Fair play would mean more time is spent investigating a Presidential candidate who did drugs, stayed in a church that spewed out anti American rhetoric, claimed to represent middle America while calling them insecure guns carrying and religious when no one is suppose to be listening, was/is associated with a known terrorist, challenges Palin's leadership qualifications while he has none,... funny I have to learn these things from the far right media when I would just as soon read it from what is suppose to be a balanced-main stream media source, my local paper. You drive people to the same right leaning sources you criticise because they have no alternative if they want to develop a balance perspective. Read your leftist agenda driven reporting, then their OPENLY right leaning view to try and come to some sense of truth. Where is the balance other then Fox who usually has both sides represented?

Well, I dont know about the rest of you but I do know that we here have always held our Politicians, especially Presidents to a much higher standard. If that were not true, why was Bill Clinton impeached or even investigated for that matter? I belive this Palin woman is lying and the media should find the truth, because you know McCain wont say. I really dont believe the daughter is pregnant. I believe the belly fat is from a recent pregnancy and delivery. Some one needs to produce the birth certificate for this child.

Sarah Palin and her husband seem to have little interest in the child. It is Bristol who holds the child with loving care, even the baby sister is more attentive. I suspect that soon enough it will be said that Bristol has had a miscarriage. That will take care of the impending birth. If this woman and McCain is lying, we have a right to know.

here is a group of videos showing Karl Rove, Hannity, Bill OReilly all attacking Hillary for whining and for Jamie Lynn Spears parents as being "responsible" for it, then flip-flopping to protect Palin, even if your a hardcore Repub you have to laugh and theres no way you can defend it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYNfJ9SabFU

The issue is that this candidate is a pro-lifer that in the temporary office of Governor vetoed funds to prevent teenage pregnancy, vetoed efforts to provide proper sex education and contraceptive education in high school and thinks the only answer to all of this is abstinence ed.

Thats her platform and the ramifications deserve discussion. She has no right, again, NO RIGHT to tell the women of this country that they cannot conduct family planning and choose not to carry a baby to full term. She is such a throwback its disgusting she is even on the ticket.

Where was all this disdain about picking on a under-aged girl who got pregnant when it was Britney Spears' little sister? That's why I can't stand the hypocrisy of the Republican Party and Conservative Commentators! Come on Rush (Limbaugh), Bill (O'Riley), Glenn (Beck), Sean (Hannity) give it to Palin's daughter like you did Britney Spears' sister! Hypocrites!!!

With all due respect, I take issue with the characterization of "the left wings" belief in the right to "abort" babies. Abortion is a deeply personal decision. Sara and Bristol Palin made deeply personal decisions regarding their own pregnancies which reflect and support their personal viewpoints. Without the right to choose that decision would have been taken away from them. Choice doesn't imply a cavalier attitude toward the difficulty of making the decision to end a pregnancy but reflects the realization that each woman should be free to make the decision free from the dictates of religion or ideologies.

I think Obama publicly said that we should leave her kids out of this. But this does speak to how conservatives think!! She is pregnant, so this young girl has to marry the father??? That makes no sense at all!! I know many people that have been pressured into getting married just because they got a girl pregnant. Majority of them are either not happy with their spouse or has gotten a divorce. This is why these parents would talk to their kids and educate them on sex it could possibly prevent unwanted teen pregnancy and maybe even halt the spread of STD's like HIV. I am a young voter and I thank GOD that my parents educated me I have made it to the age of 26 without an unwanted pregnancy!

Applelogic --

You're almost a week behind. This is no longer about her daughter. Unusual behaviour includes pork barrel requests ($27million), undisclosed businesses (car wash and Red Neck), membership of one or both of the parents in a secessionist political party, and the undecided outcome of her attempt to remove her brother-in-law from the State Police for nothing more than divorce.

The over-bearing nature of her willingness to work with and within the law says a great deal about how she will deal with the Supreme Court, and the Legislative branch if and when she becomes President. Given that every candidate ages under the strains of the Presidency, it is only fair to expect the same thing in a McCain presidency.

The Democrats forget that their beloved FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON committed ADULTRY while holding the most prestigious and honored job in the United States of America. Then when asked about it.... he lied on NATIONAL TV...ie: I NEVER HAD SEX WITH THAT WOMEN!

NEED I SAY MORE! Back off her family and leave her daughter alone. Her daughter made her own choice Sarah didn't hold a gun to her head. What if it was Hillary's daughter who was pregnant? Would they be treating her the same way? Oh I don't think so! They would justifiy the whole thing and put the blame on some one else... which is so typical of the Democratic Party.

How will Sarah ever have time for her five children if she is VP? Children need a full time mother not a nanny. Sarah's daughter should not have gotten pregnant if she had used protection which Sarah does not believe in. Sarah is way to far to the right for me. I wish to have choices instead of the government choosing for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and you are bringing up bill clinton to bolster your point .. if not for the media digging.. we never would have known.. nor do many of us even care - hipocritcal to say stop digging on Palin ... the height of hipocrosy

And President Clinton was impeached for his behavior, although it had nothing to do with a high crime or misdemeanor against the United States, but with his own personal misbehavior. Yes, he did lie to the American public, and he paid for it dearly!!! You people are the ones who bear the double-standard flag!

Sorry, but the right wing media and GOP water carriers, Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, O'Reilly and the like, revel in painting other unwed mothers, whether celebrities, minorities or others, as whores and skanks, and inevitably blame the parents for not raising their children the right way. So what makes Gov. Palin off limits? The right reeks with hypocrisy.

appleogic, you need to research what you say here. Stupid comments like yours bother the educated.

The concept of "Left-Wing Media" is, for the most part, a myth. It seems to me that the media are primarily interested in their own self-interest, not in any particular political agenda. They are interested in what sells, and what generally sells is drama, especially human suffering.

I didn't hear anyone whining about the "Left-Wing Media" when Obama was getting grilled for being a "radical Muslim" one week, being a "radical Christian" then next week, and for dissing working class Pennsylvanians the week after that!

Applelogic --

Why do you choose to watch political broadcasting on a channel you apparently hate. FOX is fine. Watch it. They're telling the same story. Hmmmmmmm? Could it be FOX is not conservative? Or that every channel is ratings driven. And you appear to enjoy watching these stories.

When you run as a "family values" candidate, there certainly should be scrutiny of your family and it's values. I don't remember a single Republican calling for the press to lay off when we had 6 uninterrupted weeks of Jerimiah Wright coverage, and Republican pundits attacked everything about Obama based on that, his wife, his daughters, his church, his religion. That was fair game because Obama was an unknown. The public deserves to know about any candidate who might become President. Sarah Palin is completely unknown and the public only has 2 months to decide if they are comfortable with her being the backup President to a 72 year old man with a history of malignant cancer. The public vetting process has just begun, and if the McCain campaign is uncomfortable with that, perhaps they should have used better JUDGEMENT and selected a better known candidate.

Her daughter's state is a result of parental negligence. For a woman and a party of values, looks like abortion is immoral, but fornication is perfectly fine.

Leadership and responsibility starts at home. If she cannot educate and supervise the life her own teenage daughter, how can we feel comfortable with her ability to should much bigger responsibility.

Bristol is not the issue here. Gov. Palin's failure to guide her daughter is the issue. Hope you see the difference.

Fornication leads to abortions. You cannot abortion and turn a blind eye towards fornication. Especially when you talk about values.

If Obama or any other candidate shows egnigence in their personal life, that is a red flag.

Example; John edwards and also President. Clinton. I would never vote for these irresponsible people.

She brought her children (child) into this mess!!!

Anne --

Why is it the Republicans who enjoy muckraking around Bill Clinton?
They seem to have no problem seeing the muck in someone else's life but not their own.

How many years of investigation did they fund out of the taxpayers wallets?
Let's just say that the investigations started within 3 months of his being in office.

How many juries were called before they found one packed enough to attempt the Lewinsky jury?
The Starr trial went on for almost three years all by itself. And that didn't even count the White Water issue.

Yet despite the gross misspending by the Republican congress, Clinton ended with a surplus. Now Bush? The only reason nobody including the republicans haven't impeached him is because there is not one penny left in the country.

No body has forgotten what Bill did which is an undertone to why people didnt support Hillary. Many people didnt want Bill back in the white house.

The Gop thinks they own family values and their hit men paint anybody on the other side as immoral and unprincipled. Its the same thing they try to do on the issue of Patriotism. They think they own it.

The hipocracy of those who are suggesting she be left alone is stunning.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard smear tactics and hot jobs being done on Barak Obama. WHere were all you people then. He's a muslin, he was raised in the middle east, he's not even a citizen, he sold drug...blah blah blah.

Dont pretend for a second that you have the moral high ground in this. Your selective indignation stops right at the point where and (R) shows up behind the candidate.

IN short: If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. This is politics baby.

applelogic, the obama camp has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that this young girl's pregnancy should not be made an issue in this election and therefore it will seem that it is the American people, whether they are republicans or democrats, whether media or not, the same people she wishes to govern, who are disturbed by this. It may be hypocritical, like the sexism that Hillary faced, the racism Obama faces and the agism that McCain faces, but the people have a right to choose someone they respect (for whatever reason) and if the conduct of her family members, or the arguable failure of her position on sex education, prevents them from respecting her then...they have a right to express that disappointment. I personally don't think her daughter should be put in this embarassing situation but arguably that is something Palin MUST have considered before accepting the pick. But mostly, I lost a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she did not include in her comments on this pregnancy anything that could caution other young teens about ending up in her daughter's predicament. "Love and support" is good and admirable but "proud" was all she said about how she felt. Tha's not powerful leadership or parenting... I was disappointed by her comment.

And when Roe is repealed - making it a crime to have an abortion, where will you incarcerate the women who get the abortion? Since they will be accessories to a pre-meditated murder they will be criminals and that currently gets jail time.

Just asking --

applelogic, the obama camp has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that this young girl's pregnancy should not be made an issue in this election and therefore it will seem that it is the American people, whether they are republicans or democrats, whether media or not, the same people she wishes to govern, who are disturbed by this. It may be hypocritical, like the sexism that Hillary faced, the racism Obama faces and the agism that McCain faces, but the people have a right to choose someone they respect (for whatever reason) and if the conduct of her family members, or the arguable failure of her position on sex education, prevents them from respecting her then...they have a right to express that disappointment. I personally don't think her daughter should be put in this embarassing situation but arguably that is something Palin MUST have considered before accepting the pick. But mostly, I lost a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she did not include in her comments on this pregnancy anything that could caution other young teens about ending up in her daughter's predicament. "Love and support" is good and admirable but "proud" was all she said about how she felt. Tha's not powerful leadership or parenting... I was disappointed by her comment.

The question posed has nothing to do with her family but her as a candidate for the VP of the entire USA. Reread the question. Should the media back off of Sarah Palin's background and family? I agree that her children are absolutely untouchable. I do not care if her daughter is pregnant or not and marries the baby's daddy or not. I absolutely care how Sarah Palin treats officials in positions of power when her family is concerned. The "left wing media" which conservatives love to call all media that do not agree with them, attacked Hillary Clinton unmercifully and still paint Barack Obama as a Muslim. Good grief. Read the facts of the situation. If the media -- or McCain's investigative team-- determine that there was anything to the story about her former bros. in law, then print it. Many lies have been printed about the Clintons. They were accused of everything from murder to larceny. Get over it!

As a past liberal Democrat, turned L. Dobbs Independent, I totally agree with you.
However, I think the CNN talking heads are going to help elect the McCain/Palin ticket because of their bias and ignorant remarks. It seems that an empty HAAArvard suit, who
has nothing but emotional reponses to serious questions and a really old time Washington
politician get their vote. There is something really off balance in the medias switch to emotiona response to Barack Hussain Obama and his rhetoric, his barely disguised bias against his white mother and grandmother, his disgusting use of Senator Hilary Clinton, and then Axelrod's dismissal of her.
I am voting Republican for the first time in 40 years.

Sam

applelogic, the obama camp has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that this young girl's pregnancy should not be made an issue in this election and therefore it will seem that it is the American people, whether they are republicans or democrats, whether media or not, the same people she wishes to govern, who are disturbed by this. It may be hypocritical, like the sexism that Hillary faced, the racism Obama faces and the agism that McCain faces, but the people have a right to choose someone they respect (for whatever reason) and if the conduct of her family members, or the arguable failure of her position on sex education, prevents them from respecting her then...they have a right to express that disappointment. I personally don't think her daughter should be put in this embarassing situation but arguably that is something Palin MUST have considered before accepting the pick. But mostly, I lost a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she did not include in her comments on this pregnancy anything that could caution other young teens about ending up in her daughter's predicament. "Love and support" is good and admirable but "proud" was all she said about how she felt. Tha's not powerful leadership or parenting... I was disappointed by her comment.

Every member of every Presidential candidate's immediate family is and has been subject to close scrutiny by the press since before I can remember and I turned 55 today. The ONLY reason Repugnicans are so outraged by the exposes of Palin's daughter's pregnancy and her husband's DUI is that these facts belie their holier-than-thou postures. Palin is reckless. Her husband has been reckless. Her daughter is reckless. And McCain is reckless for chosing her to run as his VP.

Given his age, the chances of this McCain dying in office are actually quite high, god forbid he actually be elected, and the idea of this small town Caribou Barbi sitting in the Oval Office with her tirgger-happy finger on the nuclear button is the most insipid idea I've ever heard supposely serious political minds suggest in my entire life.

I'm sorry the commentary on Palin and her family seems hypocritcal. It certainly the same kind of scrutiny given Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Geraldine Ferraro, Gary Hart and other Democrats.

Anyone running for elected office knows they will be scrutinized. She chose having her teen daughter's pregnancy in the spotlight because they payoff of being vice president would be worth the cost. She is choosing to run which has to take significant time away from her Downs Syndrome infant. No matter how super any man or woman is, we don't have unlimited time. She's making choices about her personal priorities that indicate how she might make choices as a VP. That's fair game to me.

I agree wholeheartedly...How many of us would want the scruntinizing and fabricating of the truth that the press does applied to our own lives?

Moms need to unite and really look into exactly what the McCain/Palin ticket has in store for us. Just take a look at his voting record on women's issues! Please don't be FOOLED..Our wants to have a historic moment of a woman in the White House can wait for the right Woman! We should also all be a little weary of her religious beliefs and remember that religion is faith not fact!

applelogic, the obama camp has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that this young girl's pregnancy should not be made an issue in this election and therefore it will seem that it is the American people, whether they are republicans or democrats, whether media or not, the same people she wishes to govern, who are disturbed by this. It may be hypocritical, like the sexism that Hillary faced, the racism Obama faces and the agism that McCain faces, but the people have a right to choose someone they respect (for whatever reason) and if the conduct of her family members, or the arguable failure of her position on sex education, prevents them from respecting her then...they have a right to express that disappointment. I personally don't think her daughter should be put in this embarassing situation but arguably that is something Palin MUST have considered before accepting the pick. But mostly, I lost a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she did not include in her comments on this pregnancy anything that could caution other young teens about ending up in her daughter's predicament. "Love and support" is good and admirable but "proud" was all she said about how she felt. Tha's not powerful leadership or parenting... I was disappointed by her comment.

Way to make the point about free choice, though I dought that was the point you were trying to make. And I have yet to hear anyone on the left mention that the girl should have an abortion. What you fail to understand is that we all are anti abortion but people on the left and some on the right believe that that is the choice of the individuals involved to make, not some idiot or some judge. You value life so much why aren't you making a big stink about the war? Unatural death is death no matter how you look at it.

thats funny , REPs invented attack politics. live by the swiftboat , sink by the swiftboat

The difference is that Obama and Biden don't want to tell other people how to live their lives. They don't try to force their religious views onto the rest of the American public. This is about a women's right to decide what's best for her welfare and her body. She's stated that her daughter made the choice to keep her baby, why can't she let other women have the same right?

This is important because of McCain's age and history of cancer, she very well could be president. Americans have the right to ask questions and the fact that the Republicans are reacting so strongly to this raises many more so she might as well get used to it. The fact that McCain picked someone with such right wing extremists views also makes me question his judgment. What good is experience that is lacking in judgment. We've already had 8 years of that and I certainly don't want to continue the downward spiral that America is in right now.

So I would appreciate it if all you conservatives and the Republican party would stop spilling so much rhetoric that really isn't important and just answer the questions put forth regarding this candidate for VP.

You conservatives want to shove YOUR morality down the rest of our throats by creating laws that take away freedoms. If some woman wants to terminate a pregnancy -- its her issue -- not a Gov't issue. And teaching abstinence in schools IS a family issue; the dumbest thing since the pet rock. When a candidate's platform consists of no sex ed (pregnant daughter) and a pro-life agenda -- you conservatives made it about family.

Applelogic has accurately noted the hypocrisy of the extreme left as reflected in many liberal lady columnists' attacks on Mrs. Palin. Many of you demand that every fact about this family be dug into by the "media." Oh that the media did not have its own agenda in our modern politicalscape. How many of you demanding this type of scrutiny would be comfortable with any kind of scutiny by your own employer since your character is important to your employer's business as well as your co-workers. The other fact worth noting is that the liberal left "abortonists" would simply eradicate and eliminate their similar problem probably using an assumed name. All of you on the Newsvine who have never had a "family problem," please stand up!!! I acknowledge that we are not running for VP, but let's talk about Senator Biden's continued lack of character in blaming a drunk driver for the death of his first wife and daughter. That apparently is not the case--the truck driver was not at fault, nor was he drunk, and yet Senator Biden has for a couple of decades slandered this poor truck driver. An need I remind you Democrats that a sexual predator in the halls of the White House running this country was okay, as is apparently John Edwards indiscretions which are resulting in higher speaking fees for his appearance. I sense so much rage and hatred on the left for anyone or anything that is not to their liking. The rest of us have the right to civilly disagree but hatred and rage does not lead to any rational discourse or decision making.

applelogic, the obama camp has come out and said, in no uncertain terms, that this young girl's pregnancy should not be made an issue in this election and therefore it will seem that it is the American people, whether they are republicans or democrats, whether media or not, the same people she wishes to govern, who are disturbed by this. It may be hypocritical, like the sexism that Hillary faced, the racism Obama faces and the agism that McCain faces, but the people have a right to choose someone they respect (for whatever reason) and if the conduct of her family members, or the arguable failure of her position on sex education, prevents them from respecting her then...they have a right to express that disappointment. I personally don't think her daughter should be put in this embarassing situation but arguably that is something Palin MUST have considered before accepting the pick. But mostly, I lost a lot of respect for Sarah Palin when she did not include in her comments on this pregnancy anything that could caution other young teens about ending up in her daughter's predicament. "Love and support" is good and admirable but "proud" was all she said about how she felt. Tha's not powerful leadership or parenting... I was disappointed by her comment.

RESPONSIBILITY;
If you want to talk about about somebody NOT having values.....you need not only look at Bill Clinton and John Edwards.......yes, they screwed around, but JOHN MCCAIN is a HUGE bed hopper. He had NUMEROUS affairs on his first wife. It was during one of those affairs that he met Cindy McCain, his current wife. When he and Cindy applied for their marriage license...John McCain was STILL MARRIED TO HIS FIRST WIFE for cryin ou loud!!! Now, you want to talk about a low down dirty dog, there's your man.

I don't think anybody thinks it's appropriate to go after her children, but I'm tired of seeing interview after interview with answers to the interviewers questions about policy and background being "Stop being sexist!" and "Her daughter's pregnancy has nothing to do with it!". As a voter wanting to make an informed choice on who is going to be the "a heartbeat away" from being the leader of the free world, I'm disgusted by the smoke and mirrors going on around her. I want honest answers to tough questions, and I want to know why we can't get them. Thankfully my family lives in Alaska; so I was aware of Palin's background and troubles before she was nominated, but I've still had to do research on my own because McCain's camp isn't being forthcoming on the details. Maybe if they weren't so secretive, I'd hear more of both sides which is what they claim they want.

USAF Vet --

Great Point!!

It's so easy to define a crime wherever we like it. But, what will be the penalty, where will it be served, will we do three strikes.

The sad truth will be that mostly the children will have to pay. Responsible married couples will deal with whatever burdens are necessary. Doctors may risk their license to practice. But young and unmarrieds will have to resort to some pretty drastic measures. And they probably won't be thinking of gun-shot weddings.

Poor Levi. Nobody admits to pushing him. But the right thing for both of them is to finish school and get on with life. If Sarah doesn't win VP, he'll be blamed for everything and will never be permitted to escape from the wrath of the parents.

Stop. Think. This is not about her daughter's morals or lack of...it's about what Sarah Palin's entire philosophy has been and is. She's a very rigid woman with all black and white beliefs..for her, there is no grey. Well now, she's found out that there's a lot of gray...A LOT OF GRAY. She doesn't even believe in birth control pills, for God's sake...she believes in Abstinence...."Well, how's that working for you, Sarah"? She believes that it's OK to shoot wolves etc from helicopters! She hired a lobbyist to get money for her town and yet, she's against special interests influencing our government????? Sarah is a fake and John McCain listened to his right wing nut jobs before he chose her. Why didn't he pick Giulianni or any number of other people? If he wanted a woman, did he forget about Kay Bailey? Is this man someone I want to trust with my grandchildren???? I THINK NOT!!! I THINK MCCAIN'S SPOOL IS UNWINDING.

Who in the media is criticizing her daughter? Can you name anybody in the mainstream media who is "attacking" Palin's daughter? (by the way, bloggers don't count as mainstream media) The major news channles just report the news, I haven't heard anybody criticize Bristol for being pregnant. To post that "to slander Palins children is outrages!!!!!" is laughable. Have you seen so-called "Fair and Balanced" Fox News treatment of Obama? Now that's brutal, I wonder when they'll bang that Rev. Wright drum again....and again.... and agaiin.... and again...

Hummm. I wonder if Obama picked Hillary for the Veep spot, would the RNC ignore her past? Boy, I can just imagine the White Water, Hillarygate Healthcare, and Bill's past as "off the table". Has the complaining "Virtuous Right" forgotten the wealth of opportunity that the Swiftboaters presented digging up Kerry's past?

McCain's pick is a golden opportunity to show his lack of judgement and ability to be easily swayed by the Karl Rove Trash Machine. There is going to be a media frenzy until election day, God willing.

If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen (and quit "whining)!

When she banned sex ed in schools other then abstinence and ended up with a pregnant daughter. She made it an issue.

When she accepted the VP job knowing her 17 year old was pregnant, she made it and issue.

When Republicans hold themselves as holier then thou and that they hold the moral majority, THEY MADE IT THE ISSUE.

Stay out of our bedrooms and we will stay out of yours.

Obama himself stated in the "liberal media" that her family is off limits. So all the "attacks" on her family business IS NOT coming from the Obama camp. This is yet another right wing scare tactic. They want us to think that "Big Bad Obama" is attacking "cute little Palin" about family values, something Republicans are suppose to have a monopoly on. The Republican platform can be summed up as this:
POW, 9/11,hockey mom, liberals are evil, Obama is not like us, we are at war with the world (except Israel). So like Palin's speech shows, The McCain camp will do nothing but attack the Democrats because they do not have their own platform, they will continue the Bush regime. Four more years of the same? Naw, GIVE ME CHANGE!

PS. Being liberal doesn't mean you want to be a socialist nation, it means that you care for more than people who look just like you!

Look who is calling the kettle black.

Wouldn't you be considered stupid if you can't even spell stupid?

You should be careful of the childish names you use if you can't spell them.

Maybe you should stick to the easy three lettered words that any five year old can spell.

Who is slandering her children? She is putting them out there to stand behind. I say if you want to stand behind your children to take the heat off your own issues, expect to clean the mud off them later. Her daughter should not be brought into this but her mother's views on this definitely should be. The media has been dragging everything they can get at on everyone else. Maybe she can stand behind McCain's "I was a POW" excuse. It allowed him to cheat on his wife to get ahead without question.

No one is slandering Sarah's daughter!! Sarah decided to bring the children into the lime light because being VP is more important to her then protecting the children. If her 17 year old daughter was not pregrent this discussion would not even be on the table.
Who is going to support this 17 year old and her child?? We the people. What about the boyfriend? He is not even out of high school. There goes his college education for now.

There is such a thing as Spell Check!!!! Use it!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah Palin is the one who announced her daughters pregnancy to the world, it was not uncovered by the media. Yes it was in response to those rumors concerning who gave birth to Trig, but how about instead saying. He's my son case closed. No she threw her daughter on the fire to point out that she couldn't be Trigs mother because she's already pregnant. Ridiculous. Now she intends to trot out Levi at the convention....WHY??? I don't care about this young man and neither does the nation. What I do care about is the way she's handled herself in this situation, especially considering what she's running to handle.

jackandjill - scroll back up to the top of the page and READ the question posted. Here... I'll retype it for you... "Should the media stop asking questions about Sarah Palin's background and family?" I don't see any mention of slandering Palin's daughter. The question is, should the media STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.

I don't think the media should stop asking RELEVANT questions, about ANY of the candidates. It these people are going to lead this country, we need to know about them and the political and personal choices they have made in the past (ie "background") and if family values are an important issue, which they are to me, I want to know a bit more about their families as well. I am not a Clinton fan, because of their family value issues. In fact, I might have more respect for Hillary if she had left her good for nothing husband years ago. I'm not a McCain fan, again the whole family values thing. The stories about how he treated his ex-wife and how plastic his current wife is...

I WANT to know more about Palin if there's any chance at all that I might vote for her. So far, I'm not impressed. Yes, her daughter is part of the problem, but its more my problem with how she's been parented, not a problem with slander. Slander is, by definition, "a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report". The daughter IS pregnant - this is NOT a false report.

They're not going to do this to Obama or his family..plenty could be said about his family; the things he did and smoked 24 years ago (Palin's husband being arrested 24 years ago for DUI). Obama just didn't get caught for doing crack cocaine.

Since the Fourth Estate continues to be irresponsible, perhaps the gloves should come off. Why not ask Barry O'bama to PUBLISH his wife's racist position paper from 1985 while a student at Princeton University. Then we can see the values that O'Bama (sic) actually has in his choice of mate, reverend, real estate brokers, etc.

Dual standards of acceptable behaviour have got to be eliminated.

I agree with you but from a whole different angle. They've effectively switched the focus to something that can easily be disregarded as inconsequential later on (her daughter's pregnancy), while keeping people from focusing on the 'real' problems with Palin such as her hardcore religious views, her apparent abuse of power, her 'executive' experience which is laughable, her lack of knowledge on what her job will entail as VP, etc.

VERY CLEVER republicans, very clever.

This woman is running on values that are directly opposite of what she is living. Sure she had her Down Syndrome son, but what was she doing pregnant at age 44? Surely that wasn't planned. I am sure it is because of her archaic views on women's rights including birth control. Now she wants to have only abstinence taught in schools. Doesn't even work in her family let alone the rest of the country. And to bring her daughter into this mess shows what kind of a mother she is. These are EXACTLY the kinds of things I want to know about before I vote. There are too many uneducated and uninformed people out there as it is. And to all those out there that keep saying everyone is "picking" on her, give me a break! She has just started this. Obama, McCain, Biden and others have been researched for months. Maybe this woman just has so much baggage it is easy to find.

You are correct...these suckers are dangerous.

Was Sarah Palin not supposed to not talk about her son because people would think she was using her baby for a pity vote? NO. She is presenting her family, and he is a part of it. I don't believe she is using her own child. If you're going to go off that, why don't we look at Obama's using his family as a "I'm just like you" presentation. What he really could be saying is, "See how perfect MY family is?" Sarah Palin isn't ashamed of the fact that her family has problems. We all have problems and she is more like us than he or his family ever could be. But that's not the main problem right now.

As for Palin not being properly vetted, I haven't done my homework on this. What I do know is this. I don't care if her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. I don't care if her husband had a DUI 20 some odd years ago. I don't care if she has admittedly smoked pot or whatever else may be there in her background. It is so trivial compared to what we should be learning about Barack Obama. How about we look more into what is in HIS background, such as his relationship with Ayers, and the endorsements he is getting from known terrorist groups? What the heck is a pregnant daughter compared to what is in Obama's past? We have a right to know these things, too. And unfortunately, many of you choose to turn your heads the other way and pretend it's not there. What are you thinking? You want to see our country get even more screwed over? Hand it over to Barack Obama. We'll see what happens.

Dawn in Idaho, can you explain what is wrong with being pregnant at age 44? Thousands of women get pregnant every year at similar ages! Sarah Palin has been married to her husband for twenty (20) years. She already has four other kids. Why in the world does it surprise you or anyone that she had a fifth.

I applaud Palin for choosing to birth a Downs Syndrome baby rather than abort it like so many other less kind-hearted women would have to save themselves the hassle.

What do you mean abstinence doesn't work in her own family? She's having kids; unless you are the Virgin Mary its kinda hard to stay abstinent and get pregnant. I'm sure that she's choosing to have those children. I can't speak for her daughter, but Bristol Palin should be left out of the national spotlight. She is hardly such an anomaly, what with thousands of teenage girls becoming pregnant every year. I think Miss Palin should serve rather as a reinforcement of WHY abstinence should be taught in schools!

you condem the media but you jump on Gore & Obama with such right wing glee. Your argument has been obvious & LOST.

Sorry but your sexism is showing. Sarah Palin is not qualified to be in the 2nd highest office in America, a heart heat away from the presidency, in my opinion.

Let's do the math on her qualifications. Mayor of a small town: most small town mayors hold the position as a part time job. Was this the case with Ms. Palin? Governor of Alaska for less than two years: Although Alaska is the largest state of the 50 United States, it is one of the least populated. The reason I bring this up is because it speaks to the issue of diversity, both ethnic and cultural. Ms Palin will be the representative of all Americans, not just those who side with her ideology. Her views should not be imposed upon the remainder of Americans who do not share them. My last point is, how is she going to run the Senate if she does not know what the Vice Presidents role in our government is?

Qualified? I don't think so. Holding a certain job does not make you qualified. It simply mean you were employed at that position. I'll give her the 80% approval rating if you tell me what the sample size was and how the question(s) were phrased. (Statistics can be spun many different ways)

Let's look closely at Ms Palin before we join the "Kool-Aid Party". After all, she represents only one persons choice, John McCain's. Is that enough to base the future of our country upon?

Perhaps you should know that Ms. Palin endorsed Barack Obama's energy plan, and not John McCain's.

"Gov. Palin was interviewed regarding energy and environmental issues. She came across as a bright and articulate woman who knows about these issues. Her answers were well thought out and formulated. She will be an asset in regards to her knowledge in these areas"

Are you serious???? This woman is an environmental disaster waiting to happen!!! Her backing of shooting of wolves and bears turns my stomach. If shes willing to do that in Alaska just imagine the glee with which she'll approve of slaughtering other states wild animals....horses, wolves, those nasty sea lions, any and all animals that get in the way of her plans to back big money in environmentally sensitive areas. National Parks? Ha!! She'll be opening them up for some good ol' strip mining, oil drilling, and landfills. Shes both ignorant and arrogant....what a dangerous combination to put in a position of power over us all.

she is one scary candidate. And if she is going to stand there and say abstinence ONLY education is best then yes I can sit here and say "how did that work out for your daughter?" her thoughts on the environment are also crazy. She said that she believes in global warming but that it's not caused by humans. She also stood up at her church and said that the Iraq war was "God's plan" and we need to pray for that plan. I am a christian and I don't even come close to believing that that was "God's plan" And if this had been Chelsea Clinton then all the republicans would have been up in arms and probably tried run the Clinton's out on a rail. Don't sit here and say it's her families problem and stay out of it when we are a society that can't stay out of any ones business....how often do you talk about neighbors over family dinner? But i do agree that this is distracting from much bigger issues such as energy, experience, unlawful use of power, etc.

Yeah..."Won't somebody think of the children!!"

Bottom line, she was a poor choice. The media is trying to gather as much information as possible on a virtual unknown. The true picture of Sarah Palin is just being painted, and the Republicans are pissed because the media aren't following the carefully crafted script they laid out about who "Hockey Mom" is on day 1. Reformer, Family Values, Average Mom. That's the projected image.

The real Sarah:

1. She and her husband supported secession of Alaska from the USA.

2. She is a political bully in Alaska who has abused her power at least twice.

3. She has ZERO foreign experience.

4. She has less experience than any candidate to ever run for Prez or VP.

Sorry if the reality doesn't match McCain's pretty picture.

If you are a Lady then my I ask why you would want all of your choices taken away from you?

I do not agree or disagree with roe v wade but I will not let any man take away my freedom to choose what I want for my life and or body!

Think about it!

While some groups are proud as punch that she's so dramatically out of the box that you can't tuck her back in again on any of them -- pro-life (but not pro sex education); pro-government (but not pro obeying the law); anti-divorce (but not opposed to encouraging under age marriages of necessity); etc.

That's out of the box alright. To some, Maverick, to others, inconsistent.

Some groups are already proposing a pool -- how long until she steps down?

She does have more to offer than a community organizer

Add to your story: President George W. Bush's drug and alcohol use when he was younger. If every person who ever ran or held public office was "pure", all public offices would be empty. People make mistakes when they are young; sometimes they do it out of a rebellious nature; sometimes because they have no guidance. If they are fortunate, they learn from their mistakes and stop the poor behavior and make better choices.

I am not a supporter of Bush or anyone running on the Republican ticket. I am a Democrat, but I do not wear blinders. I do believe in fairness, however. I see very little of that in the media. I agree with the writer who said that the media is not really "liberal" but really pushes its own agenda -- scandal and something to sell a story.

I hope we all survive this debacle.

Her thoughts on evironment are that human's are not causing global warming. - Even the Bush office is admitting that humans are contributing to global warming. Will it take another 8 yrs to get some committment for alternative energy?

She and McCain want to overturn Roe vs. Wade and leave woman without choices. AND EVEN WORSE SHE DOENSN"T BELIEVE IN BIRTH CONTROL.

"ABSTINENCE ONLY" does not work. In fact a study found that teenagers who signed abstinence contracts only kept it (on average only a year or so) AND they wound up having more sex partners (on average) than their counterparts that never signed the contract.

I would really love to know how she feels about higher education as well. Her oldest joined the military out of high school(perfectly fine but why not ROTC). ANd now her second is pregnant and will she finish high school? Why would any parent want their daughter to get married just because she got pregnant?

I was quite disappointed that Hilary did not win the nomination but I would not vote for a woman just because she is a woman . I would never vote for a right wing radical who wants to take my rights away.

Dr. D, at least Obama knows what our country our communities need and the hardship we are facing. Isn't our communities is what this country is built of. Meaning the middle class HARD WORKING day to day struggling & sacrificing for their families type of people. Our communities is often unheard we need those voices like Obama's and others who actually cares about the PEOPLE the COUNTRY. Those who are uninsured, those who have to make a hard choice of paying the electric bill or putting food on the table. The people the country JOHN MCCAIN DOESN'T KNOW and I am sure Palin doesn't even. Gov. Palin doesn't represent me as a mother or a career woman at all. She put her family out there not MSNBC, FOX, CNN, or any other NEWS network. She came out thinking she was representing all women, NO IN THE HELL SHE DON'T.

Anne:

Pro-lifer's simply want to preserve another person's choice: that of the unborn. There is no medical or scientific dispute anymore; abortion takes the life of a human being. Indisputable scientific fact, regardless of Obama's "pay grade". The fetal heart is beating at 3 weeks, from day one it has its own unique DNA. This is not 1970 and a "woman's body" or "clump of tissue" won't work anymore.

Now aside from these scientific facts, the question becomes: why didn't we let Hitler continue gassing and burning the Jews? Because I guess we didn't like it. It was gruesome. It was inhumane. It took innocent life, based on the "value" that "someone else" imposed on it. Seem to me that abortion is no different. Have you seen pictures of aborted fetus? Why not publish it? It is a fact, it is the "law", it is "accepted" by "mainstream America". I have seen pictures, and guess what? it IS gruesome, it IS inhumane, it IS taking innocent life just because "someone else" doesn't value it. I don't like it.

Nobody is taking away your "choice" to experiment with your reproductive and sexual faculties. We simply want you to ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES of your "choices", which may include: AIDS, other venereal disease, an oral contraceptive "mustache" or increased risk of breast cancer, or gosh, maybe, a pregnancy that you hadn't planned on! It kills me to hear your kind whine about "choice" when you have it already, "a priori", and simply need to be responsible for your behavior, rather than insist the government rush in and intervene to provide you and "pro-choicers" with an "out" when things don't go your way. Grow up!! and if you need help understanding the biochemistry or reproductive system, ask a third grader, they know. This all goes for men as well as women.

Pro choice = abortion as "fallback" = birth control by taking human life = irresponsible behavior

Further, the rape/incest/health of mother argument doesn't hold water, since those cases are less than 1% of all abortions. The majority of abortions are performed as "birth control", i.e. to terminate the pregnancy because it is just 'inconvenient' to the mother/father, or it simply isn't "wanted". Ever wonder what that aborted child might have grown up to be??? A physicist who invents time travel, or free energy, or cures cancer... rather than ending up in a dumpster because he/she was "unwanted". Liberal elites (Democrats) like it because it helps hold down the minority and poor populations.

Note: I have not spoken about morality, or God, or religion. Just the facts, and trying to get folks to re-discover the basis of RATIONAL THOUGHT, which is simply: understanding the consequences of one's actions. Abortion should not encourage one to disregard these consequences, which it does.

Peace

Anne:

Pro-lifer's simply want to preserve another person's choice: that of the unborn. There is no medical or scientific dispute anymore; abortion takes the life of a human being. Indisputable scientific fact, regardless of Obama's "pay grade". The fetal heart is beating at 3 weeks, from day one it has its own unique DNA. This is not 1970 and a "woman's body" or "clump of tissue" won't work anymore.

Now aside from these scientific facts, the question becomes: why didn't we let Hitler continue gassing and burning the Jews? Because I guess we didn't like it. It was gruesome. It was inhumane. It took innocent life, based on the "value" that "someone else" imposed on it. Seem to me that abortion is no different. Have you seen pictures of aborted fetus? Why not publish it? It is a fact, it is the "law", it is "accepted" by "mainstream America". I have seen pictures, and guess what? it IS gruesome, it IS inhumane, it IS taking innocent life just because "someone else" doesn't value it. I don't like it.

Nobody is taking away your "choice" to experiment with your reproductive and sexual faculties. We simply want you to ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES of your "choices", which may include: AIDS, other venereal disease, an oral contraceptive "mustache" or increased risk of breast cancer, or gosh, maybe, a pregnancy that you hadn't planned on! It kills me to hear your kind whine about "choice" when you have it already, "a priori", and simply need to be responsible for your behavior, rather than insist the government rush in and intervene to provide you and "pro-choicers" with an "out" when things don't go your way. Grow up!! and if you need help understanding the biochemistry or reproductive system, ask a third grader, they know. This all goes for men as well as women.

Pro choice = abortion as "fallback" = birth control by taking human life = irresponsible behavior

Further, the rape/incest/health of mother argument doesn't hold water, since those cases are less than 1% of all abortions. The majority of abortions are performed as "birth control", i.e. to terminate the pregnancy because it is just 'inconvenient' to the mother/father, or it simply isn't "wanted". Ever wonder what that aborted child might have grown up to be??? A physicist who invents time travel, or free energy, or cures cancer... rather than ending up in a dumpster because he/she was "unwanted". Liberal elites (Democrats) like it because it helps hold down the minority and poor populations.

Note: I have not spoken about morality, or God, or religion. Just the facts, and trying to get folks to re-discover the basis of RATIONAL THOUGHT, which is simply: understanding the consequences of one's actions. Abortion should not encourage one to disregard these consequences, which it does.

Peace

Excellent...excellent argument. Thank you for saying this. Although I know you won't change any minds, perhaps leaving the whole "religious" thing out of the argument will make some say hmmmm....and at the very least, be more compassionate.

As a person who watched my 24.2 week (gestational age) son die in my arms, I can't look at pictures of an aborted baby of the same age without the urge to vomit. Had my son not had the lung disorder that he was born with, he would have been running around my house right now. There is no argument that a pro-choice person can give me that will prove to me that abortion is a good thing to do. The fact that Obama voted to kill babies my son's age makes me shudder (look it up folks...even after HIS committee changed the wording to protect the rights for choosing abortion, he STILL voted against it).

Thank you Governor Palin for being an example of the pro-Life view. I don't find your views extremely "right-wing" or crazy....as a Republican with the tendency to go Independent, I think your desire to stand up for what is right is refreshing. Your little boy is a living, breathing, human being, regardless of his disabilities. And as a person who has worked with other HUMAN BEINGS with Downs Syndrome, the happiness your family will see in him will be infectious.

Clumsy --

It really isn't a question of changing minds. Or of being scientifically, or ethically, guided well enough to convince you that we will ever agree with you.

The real problem here is that neither pro-life nor pro-choice will be changed by the discussions being exchanged. Talkers are historically not the best listeners.

The supposition that pro-choice means anti-god is rather simplistic and foolish. The pro-life policy of banning abortion, punishing the criminals, disbarring the physicians, and teaching no other solution than abstinence does not go very far toward answering some very critical issues.

Even if we save quite a lot on education costs, we would need to build an entirely new breed of correctional suites for the many young people who are historically the worst offenders, and the least able to simply marry for a second income. They will lack education, good employment, and any future options. By removing the offending physicians we only compel pregnant women of every age to seek out illegal and risky operations which, to your own point, elevates the risk of human life -- of both mother and child.

I realize this will not convince you either. But my own intention is to make the conversation go a little further than grim photographs and pointy fingers.

I'm sorry, I don't agree. I know of MANY mothers that were forced to carry/give birth to a disabled child, forced into financial RUIN, their family's torn apart due to the stress and frustration of not having the resources to care for said child because carrying it to term was not an immediate danger to their life. Palin and the Pubs want to force us to live with THEIR choice, but don't want to offer ANY kind of assistance. I'm sure if most of those you're speaking of had the benefits of princess Palin and her daughter, like top-notch health care, and 100k jobs etc.. maybe, just MAYBE, they'd choose to have their children too.

I speak from experience by the way, I have a disabled child. I also have 6 other children to consider. And, NO, I'm not one of those "welfare moms" I worked full-time before having him, but was forced to quit to give him the care and attention he needs. His care costs an average of 200k a YEAR, how many of you could afford that? How many of your insurance companies would continue to pay for it before they found a reason to drop you like a hot potato? My husbands company refused to cover our child, his condition was pre-existing. What a bunch of crap. It's wrong to force a situation on someone then refuse to offer any kind of relief in return. Typical right-wing elitist crap if you ask me.

As for abortion, I believe that it should be there in case a woman wants to make that CHOICE. It is none of your personal business what is done to MY body.

I lost a child to SIDS and understand the pain of lose BUT if I wanted to abort a child, that is BLOOD ON MY HEAD, ...not yours. You can not be my conscience, I have to have it myself. You are so strong about suffering the consequences of my actions of having an unwanted child, death dealing diseases but where is that so called compassion so that I could get the medical care I would need, what if that child was handicap and I was not able to pay for it, would you? Hell No you would not. You want people to give birth but once that is done, well pull yourself up by boot straps and get on with life. So what if you don't have an education, no financial help or family to help...hey we all can't be like the rich republicans who can have tons of kids no matter what and not need any help.

I am responsible for my actions and just like you would tell me to support myself and kiss off for any assistance, well I tell you to kiss off and stay out of my bedroom, my life style, my life period.

Don't worry about the unborn or not born due to abortion, worry about the living. Worry about the millions who are hungry, sick, uninsured, unemployed, beated, KILLED but hey they were born and that is all that matter. Let's not worry about educating any of them for that is not important, only that they are not aborted and yet they can starve, be uneducated (unable to complete in the world) be killed, raped, abused but hey they were BORN.

So don't tell me that this is the only important thing and how thrilling that Ms Palin had her handicap child, my mother did too and that was back in 1954! I know a family with TWO handicap children, low income (not McCain rich) but working folks. They make less than $30,000 a year but they are handling their children and I find them HEROES not Ms Palid who is not poor or working poor and we the people will be taking care of her and her children's mistakes for years to come but hey that is ok especially since they are not black.

So, do you think you should be given a CHOICE whether or not you should be able to kill a 30 year old man or woman, since it's blood on your hands and all?

I agree that her family is off limits. However, I have issues with a parent, whether a mother or father, knowing what is going on in their family at this time - a child who is only a few months old with downs syndrome and a teenage daughter who is pregnant - why would you accept a nomination that is going to obviously tear you a way from 2 children who will need lots of love and support right now in their lives. To me it makes me think she is a selfish person. WHY WOULD A PARENT DO THIS TO THEIR OWN CHILDREN!!! John McCain should have also backed off and said you are a remarkable person, but you need to be here for your family now. I thought republicans were for family values... throwing your pregnant daughter out on the national stage isn't showing value in your child!

I, for one, am NOT a "rich Republican." And I agree that pro-choice does NOT mean anti-God and to suggest that pro-Life folks think that is absurd (and I don't think "clumsy" even brough that up). I don't pretend to know the complexities of having a child with disabilities. I do know that we knew ahead of time that our son would more than likely have serious disabilities, both mental and physical. However, it was a no brainer that we would bring him into this world. No, we don't have some magical insurance that would cover all of his expenses. No, we don't have some 100K income that could handle it. We accepted the facts and made a committment to take care of him in addition to our other 3 children. We were already investigating ways to MAKE IT WORK financially, home-wise, medically, etc. We did not wait for someone to come bounding in with their magic wand and fix it. I am thrilled when ANYONE, black or white, rich or poor, brings a disabled child into their home with love and compassion because that child was not thrown out with the soiled linens...like some broken toy. I'm thrilled when a "normal" child is not thrown out in the trash...no matter what the age. To suggest that we as pro-Life advocates don't care once that child is born or survives an abortion is ludicrous. Program after program after program is available to help those in these situations, both public and in churches. There are hundreds of thousands of childless couples advertising DAILY in classified ads, both in newspapers and on the Internet, asking to adopt the unwanted or those without families, disabled or not. I know several families with varying degrees of disabled children. They aren't "McCain rich" (eyeroll): they are regular, working-class folks, some with degrees, some not, some middle-class, some not. But, they ARE heroes: it doesn't matter how rich or poor you are. Having a disabled child is a complex and difficult thing to endure. Money doesn't sugarcoat that. Sure, it may make paying the bills easier, but that's where the differences end.

You have all been touting Pro-Life as a purely abortion-based issue. It's not. Pro-Life is about protecting the unborn, yes, but it's also about protecting the unable, protecting the young, protecting the old, protecting those who have had things fail them time and time again. I shudder to think how this country would be as we lean more and more towards pro-choice for everything regarding the sanctity of life. More Hitlers and Saddams would be committing genocide all over the world....but we wouldn't help or care because it wasn't "blood on our hands," it's theirs. All murder trials would be thrown out because, hey, it didn't happen to me...it was someone else...it's blood on the murder's hands, not ours. They made that "choice" to bludgeon someone to death...who are we to question the circumstances of that act?

As a Pro-Life person, I recognize and feel that the welfare system is broken and does not help people good enough. I work in the medical field as a biller who argues with insurance companies on a daily basis. These companies are corrupt, unfair, and largely unregulated and that needs to change. Pro-Life does NOT mean making sure that babies are born and then to h*** with the consequences. The whole system is broken and allowing the infanticide of millions and millions of babies who have no voice is only a bloody band-aid.

Don't accuse me or anyone else whose pro-Life that we would just be satisfied once we hear that newborn baby's cry ("pull up our bootstraps" and leave). That is completely ridiculous. And it's terribly irresponsible to just "birth 'em and forget 'em." Learn what pro-Life is all about and you may not be so dang hateful.

KSGirl, you are 100% right! I wish all pro-lifers would be so clear about the issues they support, and I also wish that pro-choicers would at least make the effort to understand what they're opposing and what we stand for. PErhaps their vehemenence would abate somewhat then...

You are so absolutely right! Thank goodness for someone like you with common sense after some of the other comments. This woman would damage anyone, her own children, for her own purposes. Number 1, she shouldn't have had children; Number 2, we normally convict abusive parents. This woman is beyond scarey! Unbelievable that she can scam so many people.

I still find it difficult to believe no one knew she was pregnant with Trig, and she went back to work in 2 days. Give me a break...there is much more we don't know.

By reading your comments I can tell you both must have read that stupid book It takes a village. At least (not like the last Demo Prez and family) Palin is honest and up front, is that what scares you so bad is honesty? or is that your used to dealing with your own party and not used to it. And you want to talk about being beyond scary how about Mr Barack Hussein Obama and his opinions and ideas for this country and what he wants to do for us (or TO us!). I only pray to the good LORD above (not Allah) that more flag wearing AMERICANS see this man for what he is by election day and make the right choice for our country and our future!!

You are so right. This woman has thrust her family into the limelight and her daughter to the wolves! Bristol will be lucky if the "Baby's Daddy" sticks around after all of this hoopla. Why now are they all of a sudden "getting married"? I'm 46 yrs old and I still don't know what going on when it comes to sex and marriage, so what are two teenagers going to do? I feel for these young people that were so unceremoniously thrown into the "fish bowl". And how many of us have older parents? One question: would you really want your 72 year old parent running the country? Mine tend to fall asleep at the drop of the hat.

Scared
Fearful
Prejudiced
Hypocrite

Firechief --

It's really strange that you write a letter in defense of someone you don't even name -- Sarah Palin. On the other hand, your argument shifts family values to talk about Barack Obama. His name you do remember. But you use it in such a manner that you clearly do not know much more than his name.

Having a problem with family values has been a difference in this country for quite a few generations. Having a problem with a perceived ethnicity or religion was pretty well contained with the abolition of the KKK. If I am misreading your prejudice, forgive me. Otherwise, I would suggest a little more civility when defining people you do not personally agree with.

Fred, it is interesting that you see Republican's as hypocrites considering this issue. The liberal media and left winger's such as yourself are pro-choice and believe in the right to abort babies, yet you feel that you actually have a right to pass judgment on Palin concerning this issue. Hmm...

They keep saying that the daughter has "chosen" to "keep" her baby. Does that mean that she was given a choice? Certainly sounds that way. Why was she given a "choice" when her mother and the Republican Party preach that no one should have a "choice"? Abortion should always be the last resort; adoption is a much better answer but sex education and contraception is an even better answer. Parents who are involved with their children's lives instead of being so self absorbed that they don't know what is going on is a start in the right direction.

The liberal media and left winger's such as yourself are pro-choice and believe in the right to abort babies

Paint with a big brush fella (er person) ... thanks .. jeez - thought I was a anti abortion but pro choice (I can not get pregnant) left winger... do you believe in the right to have a baby? ... I don't think people like you should ... so where does it end? ... and you right to lifers who will kill any abortion doctor who does not agree???? Hipocrasy at its best... grow up.. Bush/Cheney live by do as I say - not as I do ...

Take that message to the streets of Chicago where Obama has had such a profound influence. After his stellar guidance, out of wedlock births are practically zero. Two parent households are at an all time high, and both parents are absorbed in their kids lives, showing them the way through their impeccable parental involvement. In fact, parenting skills are SOOO effective in Chicago that not one child or baby mama is dependent on taxpayers for their very survival. WOW! What a leader! OBAMA 2008! (sarcasm off)

And lets not forget the old HUNTING PARTIES that they have. Go ahead, shoot these poor innocent animals, and collect your prize, then smoke your big ole cigar!!

HELLO PETA?!! Where are you???

Obama has an extremely LONG record of achievement, both in the 8 years he was a member of the Illinois legislature and the nearly 3 years he has been a member of the US senate. Look it up. You couldn't be more wrong.

But of course, with your crack about pot and terrorists it is clear you only believe what you hear on Fox News or read in the NY Post.

Which would explain why you seem to fault Democrats for the failings of a congress that has been led by them for less than 2 years - without a clear majority - and has had their legislation either vetoed by Bush or blocked by Republicans (in record numbers in the Senate).

Well then I guess you better put youself out of misery! Because obama is coming to town!

"Obama is the "wonder boy" and WHAT has he accomplished? Nothing that I have heard of"

Maybe because you only listen to the rightwing propaganda and don't check the facts.

"NO mention of our hard times falls on the fact that we have a Democratic-controlled Congress."<<<<<<< You are already in hard times, that was a laughable statement coming from someone that was in such disgust and not really realizing where the disgust is coming from i.e ....BUSH/CHENEY. The economy is so messed up right now that it can't get any worse, economist say recession but people's wallets say depression......... foreclosure, stock market losses, job closure, homelessness up and all of this during the republican yrs. You need to get for real, you are not watching tv now because if you were you would know all of this. So don't say that Obama won't be the reason that you will stop watching tv in the future, you probably can't afford to watch it right now.

You've got to be kidding me! It's going to take a little longer for the Democratic controlled Congress to undo what the Republican WASHINGTON has done to us over the last six years! Oh wait...it didn't really take that long for the Republicans to put our economy in the toilet.
I'd venture to say that you were just fine with things when everything was controlled by Republicans. You sailed along with no problems when GW pushed his agenda right through the Republican congress. Now when we get just a few seats ahead (remember Democrats don't outnumber Republicans by that much) everything is the fault of the Democrats. When GW went in to Washington our system of "checks and balances" went right out the window.

Here's something I learned while I was watching a little of the convention on PBS last night (great place to watch it because they have political scientists and historians discussing it): John McCain wanted to reach across party lines (as every Republican politician says they'll do lately) and choose Joe Liberman or Tom Ridge (pro choice), but the people within the party told him "you can't reach across party lines you have to stick with one of us". WOW! That says it all right there.
It has been proven through history...consumer confidence rises with a Democratic president. GO OBAMA!

Please go to Wikipedia to see what Obama has done, these charges that he has done nothing are racist. We have been forced to believe that that the Black guy has to have twice as much experience and twice as much education to get the same jobs and pay of a white man. If Obama was white he wouldn't be under as much pressure for not having experience, and would be given more credit for being an Intelligent and well educated man. The problem with Palin is, if you don't have experience you better have education, and the highest level of Education she has is a BA.

Dear Bmcneill

ANYONE can write ANYTHING on wikipedia. It is about THE most undependable source on the net.

IAMom, you and people like you are the problem. You have not done your research, you believe any e-mail you receive without checking the facts, you've been manipulated by the Rove machine, and you're not even aware of your surroundings. Do you get all of your information from the "national news" or do you supplement it with Fox media?? Your president has taken us from the largest surplus this country has ever seen to its largest deficit because of a war based on lies. He has ruined our name worldwide. We are now a country that tortures people, holds prisoners for no cause, disregards the environment for money, and kills our own young soldiers and innocent others in the name of oil. So you keep concentrating on Roe v. Wade and gay marriage -- that's what the republicans are hoping -- and watch America go farther into the toilet. Talk about concentrating on things that have no bearing on the future of our country! Wake up! If you're really interested in finding out what Obama has accomplished, the information is yours at the touch of a button. Please, use that button! Stop listening to the talking heads and do some reading for yourself -- you don't want the media to think for you, so start thinking!
I really hope you can't watch television for the next four years; you obviously need to open a book now and then. I feel the same way about The Shrub; I can't stand to hear his misuse of the English language, his constant lies, and his fake Christian ideals. So, in all fairness, I amend my wish for you to not be able to listen to our president for the next EIGHT years. That's how long I've had to endure the sound of The Shrub's voice.

Excuse me-but do you know for a fact that her daughter and future son-in-law did NOT use birth control? It's not 100% fool-proof. And it's been shown to be more ineffective used by teens who do not read the labels, take their pills every day, be careful to not get even a small hole in their condom. Just because the school district didn't pass out condoms or teach about birth control doesn't mean this young couple didn't have access to it--hello, drug store anyone?

Nevertheless--whether or not that baby was conceived by a couple using "protection" or not is NONE of anyone's business. It does NOT reflect on Palin as a mother or as a politician either.

Tell me about Palin's voting record, tell me about her executive decisions, tell me about how her leadership has impacted her state and how her constiuents feel. Tell me about HER criminal background--and I don't mean traffic tickets. Is there a big skeleton there? Or her husband's RECENT criminal background--a youthful mistake that has not been repeated is just drudging up muck and murk to try and conceal someone who is a real threat to the opposition. Even tell me more about Troopergate--because I think the truth that's going to come out there is going to make those who started the investigation look like their just retaliating for her fight against corruption.

Face it--this woman is the real deal.

My biggest fear was McCain's rabid pro life stand and now he has added Palin, another rabid pro lifer to his cadre. Women are you really ready to go back to the dark ages of illegally performed abortions sought by desperate women? Ask your grandmothers and mothers what that time was like. I remember friends dying or becoming barren. No one should have the right to dictate that to us.

I commend Palin for having strong feelings, I just think she should hold them privately and act fairly by not promoting the cutting of monies that would help educate children to make better choices. She and McCain as proposed public officials should be neutral enough to represent ALL the people and respect their individual needs. Somehow, I don't see that happening here.

This is for Colleen: Why Sarah Palin preaches abstinence....and nothing else...no other information regarding sex education allowed. So my thinking is: of course her daughter didn't use birth control!! She supposed to be abstinent. And therein lies the problem: this woman wants to make law that I completely disagree with and which DIDN'T EVEN WORK IN HER OWN FAMILY. It's crazy.

Hey, you want to teach your child to only use abstinence as birth control. Fine. (see? I'm a liberal...I don't try to control your life and how and what you teach your children) but don't you dare TRY to say that's the ONLY way and the ONLY thing my children can learn.

I'm thinking that if you refuse the entertain the idea that schools can and should teach about different types of birth control and your a member of the MORAL party with all those values, then hell yeah, your daughter showing up pregnant during high school DOES tell me about how she 'mothers'. Obviously, her political career takes precedence over everything.

I completely agree with you. And as far as McCain being defensive on the questioning of Palin's background and all of this attention surrounding her daughter he should have known people were going to scrutinize her for this. It is only because the Republicans are trying to run this country based on their religious convictions and beliefs. If their party platform focused only on the issues that we Americans are facing (facts) vs. moral issues (opinions) then no one would care about her daughter being prego.

where did you hear abstinence all that has been said is anti abortion that is not the same why are you people listening to democratic propaganda and get the truth for once also if you are worried about laws worst law on paper roe v wade

Mike strings together sentences like he has a fifth grade education from Alaska. I do say Alaska because they are ranked 46 in listing of the overall "smartest states". Coincidentally, their ranking has dropped a couple of spots since the brilliant Sarah Palin has taken over Governorship. Also, mind you she could not manage to break honors at the prestigious journalism school of the University of Idaho! Is this the family and specific individual the World can respect if President? Doubt it...Total joke!!

To WorriedWoman: This is ridiculous! Even if Roe vs. Wade is overturned, that doesn't mean that women will have abortions in back alleys! It means that individual states will get to vote on whether or not they want to uphold a roe v. wade type law or a more stringent law that allows abortion only in the case of incest, rape or to protect the life of the mother. As a woman, I am fed up with women who put their irresponsible sexuality above the life of an unborn child. If you make a mistake, place the child for adoption or deal with the responsibility. If life didn't begin at conception, then why use birth control? What is it, an alien growing in your body? Please! The left denigrates life and cheapens women.

WorriedWoman:

Pro-lifer's simply want to preserve another person's choice: that of the unborn. There is no medical or scientific dispute anymore; abortion takes the life of a human being. Indisputable scientific fact, regardless of Obama's "pay grade". The fetal heart is beating at 3 weeks, from day one it has its own unique DNA. This is not 1970 and a "woman's body" or "clump of tissue" won't work anymore.

Now aside from these scientific facts, the question becomes: why didn't we let Hitler continue gassing and burning the Jews? Because I guess we didn't like it. It was gruesome. It was inhumane. It took innocent life, based on the "value" that "someone else" imposed on it. Seem to me that abortion is no different. Have you seen pictures of aborted fetus? Why not publish it? It is a fact, it is the "law", it is "accepted" by "mainstream America". I have seen pictures, and guess what? it IS gruesome, it IS inhumane, it IS taking innocent life just because "someone else" doesn't value it. I don't like it.

Nobody is taking away your "choice" to experiment with your reproductive and sexual faculties. We simply want you to ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES of your "choices", which may include: AIDS, other venereal disease, an oral contraceptive "mustache" or increased risk of breast cancer, or gosh, maybe, a pregnancy that you hadn't planned on! It kills me to hear your kind whine about "choice" when you have it already, "a priori", and simply need to be responsible for your behavior, rather than insist the government rush in and intervene to provide you and "pro-choicers" with an "out" when things don't go your way. Grow up!! and if you need help understanding the biochemistry or reproductive system, ask a third grader, they know. This all goes for men as well as women.

Pro choice = abortion as "fallback" = birth control by taking human life = irresponsible behavior

Further, the rape/incest/health of mother argument doesn't hold water, since those cases are less than 1% of all abortions. The majority of abortions are performed as "birth control", i.e. to terminate the pregnancy because it is just 'inconvenient' to the mother/father, or it simply isn't "wanted". Ever wonder what that aborted child might have grown up to be??? A physicist who invents time travel, or free energy, or cures cancer... rather than ending up in a dumpster because he/she was "unwanted". Liberal elites (Democrats) like it because it helps hold down the minority and poor populations.

Note: I have not spoken about morality, or God, or religion. Just the facts, and trying to get folks to re-discover the basis of RATIONAL THOUGHT, which is simply: understanding the consequences of one's actions. Abortion should not encourage one to disregard these consequences, which it does.

Peace

No, the media must not stop asking questions about Palin's background & family because she made it fair game by promoting herself as adamantly pro-life & subjecting her pregnant daughter to the scrutiny of the entire country. Surely, she understands the consequences of her actions, as she surely understood the consequences of traveling on an airline in her last month of pregnancy. She is an educated, bright woman who had been pregnant at least 4 times before and knew that if you wanted the best possible outcome for your child (as almost all expectant mothers do, whether "pro-life" or not) you don't ignore MD orders or common pregnancy travel restrictions. A woman who values the sanctity of life knows that when she begins labor & leaking amniotic fluid (after said contraindicated flight & her speech that no one else in the world could give) you don't get on another airline to travel 3,000 - 4,000 miles home to deliver where you are comfortable. At that point, most concerned expectant mothers go to the nearest hospital ( with a NICU since babies with Down Syndrome often have physical problems that may require immediate attention) to be monitored. Any experienced mother can tell you if labor "feels normal" but that "feeling" gives you no indication if the baby is getting enough oxygen, only monitoring at a hospital can. Lack of oxygen would just add cerebral palsy to the list of the baby's problems. Since pressure changes in an airplane can precipitate labor & delivery, I'm amazed that she chose to get on another flight back to Alaska, seemingly without care for her unborn child's health & then drive past two hospitals with NICUs to deliver at another hospital. I'm amazed she didn't deliver on the plane! She's lucky she didn't since no one on the plane was trained to deliver a baby. It seems that this pregnancy, labor, & delivery was inconvenient to Gov. Palin and frankly, her decisions in this process strike me as cold. Sure, she's made herself famous for making that "painful choice" to keep her baby, but in doing so made some painfully poor choices regarding that child's outcome - as though having Down Syndrome made that baby less valuable & somehow a life that she was not as responsible for. Then she's back at work in 3 days. I assume her husband stayed home with the baby for at least 6 weeks, right? I suppose you think I'm picking on her because she's a woman. Stupid decisions aren't limited to one sex or another, but birthing them babies are (scientists, keep working on that one).
P.S. I'm so glad teenage mothers are so in with the Republican Party! Let's set up a Sponsor A Teenage Mom Program so that they can put their money where their mouths are. Low-income teen moms & teen moms of color are just as adorable as Gov. Palin's daughter. What a "PRO-LIFE" choice that would be - to sponsor those born & unborn lives that aren't just white & upper-class!

I feel sorry for you. You are so hyped up on right wing moral ideals that you want to say every woman who is pro choice = abortion. Give me a break. People like you should be kept in a straight jacket in a white room. I am prochoice; would I ever get an abortion-no! However, that is my choice and that's what I care to protect. This country was built on the belief that people should have the freedom to practice any religious beliefs that they have and you social conservatives want to force your antiquated moral beliefs on other people.

I think you people are the worst hypocrites on the planet!!!! You rip into anyone else's teenaged unwed daughter; however, "it's okay and we give them love and support " when it's one of your own. I have trouble believing anything you say and I thank God that you are a minute minority in this landscape of intelligent people who believe in upholding the civil liberties for everyone and not just people who share your outlandish views.

Oh, and did I mention that these people believe in evolution, manmade global warming, and the real proof offered by science for it!!!!

roseone, you are sadly mistaken. It is right to hold up a standard and ideal. That standard and ideal is that every child should and ought to be born into a loving family consisting of a mother and father. That is the ideal! If someone makes a mistake, we forgive them, we help them, we stand by them, we offer them options like adoption or we offer them opportunities to get their education while keeping their baby. Having an abortion doesn't take courage. It is selfish, self-serving, and murder. If a woman can live with that, then so be it. The only option that I see where a mother should be given that option is in the case of rape, incest, or life of the mother (for instance mother has cancer and cancer drugs would harm baby and witholding drugs would kill mother). Those are the only legitimate reasons. All others are selfish and place a woman's will above the rights of her child. How can you legitimately determine that the mother's will is more important than the child's life? Life has been cheapened and denegrated. Our children are exploited and we stand by idly. Women need to step up and take responsiblity for our actions. Women's liberation shouldn't free us from being compassionate human beings that value life and responsibility.

As I see it why not work on educating our kids about all of the choices and consequences regarding their sexuality. If we can drive the unwanted pregnance rate down to 0 then abortion becomes a non-issue.

The biggest issue I have with Palin and why her daughters pregnancy is relevant is because she endorses "Abstinence Only Education" in our schools. Looks like it didn't work in her house just like it doesn't work in Texas where they have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country.

Are you serious ? What compared to Fox News, confirmed by the former White House Press Spokesman to be a propaganda outlet with a direct editorial line to Cheney ?

Look it up. McCain shot from the hip (as usual) and did not take his responsibility to select a qualified candidate seriously. She has major issues in her past including abuse of power, demanding the destruction of library books, being pro-assault rifle, forcing teaching of creationism in high school science classes, her husband a member of the secessionist Alaska Independence Party (AIP.org look it up)....I could go on, she is such a bad choice.

If McCain won't vet is pick, we the public will do the job for him. Its our duty to know what we are getting ourselves into.

Yeah...its called FOX. If fox is far right and msnbc is far left...then turn on cnn. Or better yet, read. dig for truth and quit spewing all talking points both left and right. quit watching tv for your answers on who to vote for. Use your own brain. That's why we have them.

TV: bringing down the national IQ daily.

People are funny, we like to hear only what we want to hear and everything else is "wrong". It is important to know the person Palin is, truthfully McCain is an old man but if he was to be our president and something happen to him, she would be the leader of this country. The issues of abuse of power, her husband being a former member of a party that consider Alaska should secede the Union. To question her pass is only fair, we elect our leader not only because they know our plight but hopefully because they make that extra effort to be better than the average person. All candidate should be held to the highest standards or morality.

You're kidding right?!!! Fox News couldn't be more biased if they flashed a banner headline every night of the week. The problem with you is that you can't stand to have another opinon presented other than your own narrow minded anti-democratic one. And I mean democratic with a small "d". Well I suggest you get used to it because there's going to be a change in this country come November and your views will be relegated to the basement where they belong.

I guess that is because they don't share your opinion? Typical Republican response...if I don't agree with it then it must be wrong.

Hmmmm, were you thinking this when they had Pastor Wright alllll over the news?

Here is a clue. If you're posting on here you obviously own or have access to a computer. Do serious research on the candidates from credible sources. If you don't and you vote because of emotional bias, party bias, or because I like them; then you deserve exactly what you get when the country goes to hell.

I personally think all aspects of all candidates' lives should be open for scrutiny without exception. Specifically their current lives, since people do change a lot as years go by, I know I have. The reason for this is it lets us have a better view of who that person really is, not just the sound bites they throw out. I'd actually be afraid to vote for a candidate who didn't realize that running for office would out them under scrutiny, that shows a complete lack of realism in some one running for an office that affects my life.

Yeah, Fox

nice job on clarifying the question.

I'm all for scrutiny, but on BOTH SIDES! It seems that the mainstream media has pounced on Palin like a vulture on a carcass. They have taken the ramblings of a disturbed liberal blogger and made them newsworthy. Yet, when the National Enquirer of all publications had evidence of John Edward's affair, the news media sat on this for months. Where also is the investigation of Biden's plagiarism that cost him the 1988 election or information on his son who is being sued for fraud? Where were the crack investigative reporters on Obama's relationships with Ayers, Wright, Resco, etc.? There is NO mention of this by the mainstream media except when Ayers was brought up by ABC during the debates and they were crucified by other media outlets. As far as I'm concerned, do your job as a journalist and not a smutpeddlar. Be unbiased and professional and then maybe I would respect what the mainstream media has to say.

Promise!

McCain's choice is excellent. She's an intelligent, down-to-earth, hard-working, well-rounded woman. As governor of our great state, she has an unequalled approval rating of 80%. As an educated American, I feel insulted by your poor grammar and spelling.

Can I help u pack?

thank you for that statement , right on you are , if we vote for that daily double we are all going to be in big trouble , what judgement???

I completely agree with Linda here. Sarah Palin is the first candidate I've seen who represents REAL women, REAL families. I'm impressed by someone who came into politics not for the glory or priviledges, but because she wanted to make a true difference. She's not part of some political dynasty. She's not following in her husband's coat tails She didn't come into Alaska to become it's govenor when her real ambition was to run for national office (hello, NY?)

I feel totally insulted by the media who question her ability to both lead and be a "good mother"---millions of working mothers are there should be insulted as well. I feel totally insulted that because she's pro-life and sees children--not just her own--but all children as a blessing, that she's being thrown under the bus as a less than deserving FEMALE candidate--that her ability to reproduce makes her less of a leader. If we, as women in this country, want to see true equality--its not Roe v. Wade that divides us--it's the assumption that having a uterus and USING IT some how makes you a weaker individual.

By the way--I have two kids, both planned--I work and I am very effective at both my job and being a parent.

Uh that approval rating is old but funny how everyone wants to use that all the time. Many things have come to light about Palin since that rating and if you do your homework you will see how many times she puts her foot in her mouth. Watch all the videos and do your homework! She continually flip flops her stories and only admits to truth when someone tells her that they have proof. Many of us Alaskans will not give her our vote.

Her recent approval rating is 65% and falling. Check out the AK newspapers, they are as baffled as the rest of us as to why she was chosen. We have the right to know about her, she brought up the family issue and of course it's news when she's trying to swing it over to see, I'm good, my daughter's not getting an abortion. The reason it all came up was because of her poor judgement when she was in labor in TX at a governor's conference. She flew home 8 hours and drove to a rural hospital knowing that she was carrying a Down's syndrome baby. We are finding out about her family values, that she's about so far right she falls off the platform. She is abusing power, she says she's against pork barrel spending but hired lobbyist herself. I wasn't to concerned about McCain if he won until he picked her. I hope everyone see's that she's way to close to the White House. If she had run for president she wouldn't have stood a chance. At McSame's age, we better be very careful who we pick. Yes, lay off the old stuff about drunk driving and other PERSONAL things. But we know absolutly nothing about her

Approval rating of 80%??? Who, exactly, were they polling? Registered republicans would be my guess. Several Alaska politicians, including Republicans, have already come forward to say she is not qualified. I have no doubt that she is hard-working. How could she get where she is without being a hard worker? Being hard-working and arguably well-rounded does not make anyone qualified to be Vice President. I suppose your lack of actual issues to discuss is what makes you revert to a personal attack on a person's grammar and spelling...? I guess you have never, ever made a mistake in your lifetime. As a well-educated, well-rounded, non-judgemental American, you make me sad.

She does NOT represent me. I am a mother of two and a successful businesswoman who is APPALLED at this choice. There is no way in Hell that evangelical nutjob represents ME with her 19th century views and insistence that the war in Iraq is "God's will".

I fear that other women will be as short sighted as you, however I strongly believe the majority of us are smarter than that and will NOT vote for her just to see a hockey mom in office.

I am also a working mother of 3, however, I certainly didn't go back 3 DAYS!!! after giving birth. I thought the 8 weeks I tooks wasn't near enough. And let's be honest here, being the VP of the USA is a lot more then the jobs you or I go to everyday. It is not a 9 to 5 or even a 7 to 7 type of job. It requires much more time and energy - time and energy away from her children!

Lucyna, I wholeheartedly agree. If McCain wanted a woman on the ticket, there are MANY other Republican women that are much more qualified.

I never was going to vote for McCain because I don't believe he has good judgment, but his selection of Palin has completely confirmed it for me. He battered Obama for months and months for his lack of experience and he turns around and selects someone with much less experience than Obama had... who didn't even understand what the role of the VP is. I really do believe this election comes down to judgment:

I am not being discriminatory here on this next comment. McCain's age, especially because of his history of cancer, is definitely a factor in this election. Good judgment would have been to select a VP that could immediately step in and be President on Day One. Palin pales in comparison to the other possible choices McCain could have chosen. I have zero confidence in her ability to lead our great nation if, God forbid, something happened to McCain.

What war should we have focused on: Afghanistan---not Iraq, which happens to be the only one of the three supposed Axis of Evil countries that wasn't even close to having nuclear weapons.

Judgment like barring lobbyists from running your campaign.

Judgment like actually being aware of the differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

Judgment like actually understanding where the countries that we are working in (Afghanistan/Iraq) are actually located.

And if some of the Troopergate rumor about Palin is true... judgment about selecting a running mate that doesn't abuse government power for personal reasons.

Has anyone noticed how she has had little to none, physical contact with her baby? I cannot imagine having recently giving birth, not wanting to touch and hold my baby. It was the hardest thing I ever did, when I had to leave them to go back to work, and no apparently I am not the superwoman she apparently is by going back 2 days after giving birth.
I'd like to see a picture of her 9 months pregnant with this one. God knows we've seen all the other bikini clad, and leather mini skirt with stillettos and her shirt unbuttoned down enough to see her bra. It sure would be nice to see her being maternal.

We don't want any more left wing nut cases up here in Canada. We have enough of them already. If you like being taxed to death, this is the place to be, and I hope you are healthy because you don't want to get sick here, because it will take months to get treatment.

Learn how to write English - or Canada won't let you in - you moron.

I agree with you, whole-heartedly. I was surprised this point wasn't raised before.

Nice usage of the liberal media talking points "heartbeat away from the presidency". If memory serves correctly, this was the same sorry tactic that they used with Bush/Quayle in 1988 and we all know who won that one. Please be original and don't just spout Obama talking points. McCain isn't going anywhere unless you know something we all don't know about someone trying to take him out. When was the last assasination attempt? Reagan...

His health is fine and so I find this arguement as stale as it was in '88.

Not if she was willing and parents don't press charges. Get over it. They were planning on getting married even before they got pregnant.