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

Did the media lay off Reverend Wright, on Michele Obama's beliefs, on Barrack Obama's religious affiliations, education, parentage...nope. so why should they lay off Sarah Palin and her family? The only way to know if we want her as a national leader is to study what she says and what her history is.

I don't care about her pregnant teenager and I find the questions about her motherhood incredibly sexist. There are plenty of legitimate concerns about Palin:

1) She wants to force rape and incest victims to carry their babies to term.
2) She wants to teach creationism in schools (smarter than all those scientists I guess).
3) She suggested banning some books from the Wasilla library (what century is this?)
4) She's a global warming denier (knows better than all those experts).
5) She has a track record of abusing power by firing people she doesn't like (more Bush/Cheney)
6) No evidence that she's even thought about international relations other than to consider the Iraq war a mission from God (apparently she knows who Jesus would bomb).

I could go on. Basically, I wish the media would explore the real issues, not engender sympathy for her by attacking her family. Let's be fair.

Jamie Lynn Spears ==> What a bad example? What kind of message does it send to my kids? Bad role model...

Bristol Palin ==> Hands-off. It is a private matter???

Common people be consistent.

Next thing he will say is that you are picking on her because she is a girl.

Ms. Palin is going after the second highest position in the free world we should know every thing we can about her and where she stands on the issues.

Here are some of the things that we know about her so far:

1. Wants Intelligent design (creation) taught in school.

2. Is under investigation for ethic violation and abuse of power.

3. Hunts wolves from a helicopter.

4. Wants Polar Bears removed from the endangered animal list.

5. Does not believe in global warning.

6. Over reaching the eminent domain laws to build a stadium.

7. The bridge to nowhere scandal.

8. Wants the failed abstinence-only taught in place of sex education even thou she has an unwed pregnant teenager at home.

9. Her husband once belonged to the group known as the Alaska Independence Party. This is a group that wants Alaska to secede from the United States. She took money from them when she ran for Mayor.

10. It is being reported that she said: She urged students to pray "that our leaders, that our national leaders, are sending [soldiers] out on a task that is from God." She added, "That's what we have to make sure that we are praying for: that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Then again maybe we have all the facts to make a rational decision about this candidate.

We know all about John Edwards, what make Ms. Palin any different? My Parents told me that if you can't stand the heat GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If she wants to be 2nd in command then we should know everything about her, and her postions.

The only thing the media should leave alone is the 17 yr old she has enough problems of her own to worry about.

so we aren't supposed to investigate the background of this person who wants to be vice president of our country and would be president if mccain were elected and eventually became unable to do his job? at first, i thought the person who demanded this cessation of investigation thought we are all stupid- then i thought- maybe he's the stupid one. this is a democracy- we have the right to look into who this person and take action.

First of all, this is a badly phrased question - of course a candidate's background is pertinent and should be investigated. However, the media (including MSNBC) continue to harp on Palin's family (more specifically her daughter). By tying the two together, MSNBC can now say that the majority is voting that her background AND family are fair game. It seems to be a fairly large consensus that her family should be off limits. Get it?????

The second point is about the vetting process. WHO CARES how she was selected by McCain? It's a done deal. Let's move on with things.

Finally, let's move on the some relevant issues - what are her accomplishments, what are her qualifications for the position of VP, and what are her plans if elected? Fair enough?

Leave her children alone. However, her background & her husband's are fair game. She says she wants to stop wasteful spending, but graciously accepted and actively sought congressional set asides while mayor. The budget of Alaska has not gone down during her term as governor. She admittedly used drugs as well. I also think you should look into and more actively report on Sen. McCain's infidelities while married to his first wife. Let's really look at the records of Sen. Obama, Sen. Biden and the two republicans. Put it out there for everyone to see. What's good for Gov. Palin is good for the others. Leave no stone unturned.

Gov Palin: The Public's Right to Know

It is now being hotly debated whether the American press has the right or the responsibility to investigate the circumstances surrounding the birth of Governor Palin's youngest child and the pregnancy of her 17 year old daughter. Many observers, including—to his credit— Barack Obama, claim that this should be an entirely private matter. A candidate's family and private life, they say, should be off limits.

But there are three reasons why this case cannot remain simply a private matter.

First, there currently exists an avalanche of rumor and innuendo claiming that Governor Palin pretended to carry her daughter's child. Beyond the rumors, there has also been a growing body of circumstantial evidence about the situation supplied by Alaskan journalists and former aids to the governor who were close to her prior to the child's birth.

They have made a number of statements that call the issue into question, claiming: the Governor did not seem pregnant at the time; the Governor was traveling for a week prior to the birth and only returned to Alaska after she claimed she had broken water; the Governor returned to work the day after the birth. And so on. These are all circumstantial, but potentially significant observations that will inevitably lead to more questions. If the mainstream press ignores the issue, there will be a steady stream of innuendo bleeding into the body politic.

To combat this, the press must help separate fact from fiction, and by doing so, either fully restore the Governor's reputation for integrity, or expose the necessary uncomfortable truths.

Obviously, if the rumors and accusations about this are true, then, for the sake of her family, for the Republican Party, and for America, the truth must come quickly to light. Certainly, one could understand the natural impulse for a mother to protect her daughter from the ridicule of an out of wedlock birth. But if Gov Palin did attempt to cover up her daughter's pregnancy by pretending it was her own, that outright deception would disqualify her from running as McCain's VP.

Secondly, in terms of public policy, the current pregnancy of her daughter Bristol must be deemed relevant for the simple reason that, for many years, Gov. Palin has publicly opposed "sex education" in schools. She has steadfastly advocated for the "abstinence only" approach favored by fundamentalist Christians. This issue constitutes a public policy debate that has raged across the country for many years. In fact, the issue of using an abstinence-only approach has been a cornerstone of Gov Palin's political philosophy. So how can the press avoid dealing with it? The sad reality in this particular case is that the "abstinence-only" approach failed Gov Palin's daughter, despite the fact that the daughter had loving, supportive, Christian parents.

Finally, it is incumbent upon the press to pursue the issue because it is apparent that the McCain camp failed in its vetting process of Gov. Palin. By default, it becomes the responsibility of the press, the Fourth Estate, to do it. This is not something the press has chosen to do. But it is the public's right to know the truth about its candidates for political office, especially for the second highest office in the land.

The right-wing critics such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are wrong. An investigation by the media into this situation isn't fueled by a salacious desire to expose Gov. Palin's private life. It's simply a matter of the press doing its job. The truth of this situation is an important and completely legitimate window into who Gov Palin is as a person, as a politician, and as a parent. The public's right to know about the character of a candidate lies at the heart of democracy, transcends political partisanship, and trumps a candidate's right to absolute privacy concerning family affairs.

All Americans pray for the welfare of the Palin family. We empathize with their public suffering. But even as we pray for and empathize with them, we must seek to know and understand them and their character. They could become America's First Family.

RW Kistner, Phoenix
skistner3@yahoo.com 602-615-5310

Seems to me that the "prickly" Republican candidate for president would again like to limit the 5th Estate from doing its job. Granted, there are news media representatives on BOTH sides that can often be overly zealous and extreme in their perspective. Guess that just comes with the territory afforded by "Freedom of the press".

That said, any attempt to silence those who oppose your perspective or views leads us perilously close to the creation of a totalitarian state where the "spin miesters" on the Right and the Left control everything that we see, hear and read. No thank you. I'd much rather have to use what little smattering of intelligence I have to attempt to distinguish between the falsehoods foisted on the American public and the reality that lies somewhere within the noise.

God help us if all we could wade through was a single voice and opinion presented by those in power or those attempting to gain it.

I don't think they should stop asking questions. We the people have the right to know about her family, her policies . She's been nominated to be the next VP if elected. If they truly vetted her properly they shouldn't be afraid of the quesions. There's been sexism and racism in this race from the beginning. Werent the republicans going after Hillary and now they are crying over the media asking questions about their candidate. Keep it going

I have no problem with Gov. Palin's daughter's pregnancy. What I do object to is the hypocrisy of the Right Wing.

If it were one of Obama's daughters who was pregnant, you KNOW the far right would be allll over it, calling it typical of a liberal, typical of sex education, typical of a working mother, typical of a Black family, and a disgrace to the campaign. As it is, they are now covering their tracks and saying how it can happen to any family and how the love and support of the family is all that's needed. Yes, it CAN happen to any family and yes, love and support IS needed, but please, get off your hypocritical high horses.

JM always talk about Country first. This pick and the intent of the pick clearly shows that JM will do anything to become president. This is not a Country First decision. You just can't believe what this guy says.

The vetting process is what is at question in my opinion. Clearly the McCain campaign did not do a thorough job and is being called on the carpet. Rather than seem uninformed, they are trying to blame the media for their disaster. Now the McCain campaign realizes they are digging themselves in a hole and are essentially responding by saying they aren't going to answer anymore. Well, they owe it to the people who vote to discuss the issues and concerns that people have. Their unwillingness to do so shows that they are on wobbly ground.

Clearly the daughter should not be exploited but Sarah Palin should have known her daughter's pregnancy was going to discussed. I am a woman and a mother. Who is going to be taking care Bristol's newborn baby while she is attending high school? Generally speaking, this job usually falls to a grandparent. Is my potential vice president going to be taking care of two infants or is her husband going to be a stay-at-home dad? That is something I would like to know.

What is up with all of the questions and concerns over the un-wed pregnancy of this woman's daughter? I mean, aren't you leftys constantly pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a family here in America. Unwed mothers are nothing new to you guys... Sometimes, we as people, and our children, make mistakes and/or bad choices. And sometimes we choose to live with the consequences rather than simply sweeping them under the rug. I think that these kids have proven the ability to make a proper decision in spite of very difficult circumstance, and I think that reflects well on thier upbringing. Give them support and give them a break already.

And by the way, I am a registered democrat who often votes independant. So, don't even give me that party line junk...

We owe it to this country to keep vetting this candidate. Our country is at stake. McCain's stonewalling is an affront to our democracy, and certainly does not put 'country first'. It is the right and duty of the media to ask tough questions, seek truth, and provide full disclosure to the public. How dare McCain refuse to answer media questions (and cancel his CNN interview..). He's running for President, not King. Keep vetting, and vetting, and vetting, and don't let the McCain people intimidate you into stopping before the entire truth is exposed.

She's receiving no worse treatment/scrutiny than Obama did over Jeremiah Write, Bill Ayers, the "bitter" comment, the school in Indonesia, Michelle's "pride," the flag lepel pin, etc. Republicans are crybabies who talk tough but bruise easily. Sarah Palin's being vetted by the press, which was still free the last time I checked the Bill of Rights, and is being exposed for the shallow hypocrite phony she is. McCain is being held up to the charge of being the non-judgemental panderer he is.

The drive by media is blasting away at what they do best! Slander, lie and carry on like a bunch of banshees!!!

Sarah Palin is truly a breath of fresh air and the flaming libs just can not stand it!

Obama says families are off limits, he doesn't want to go into this situation because he doesn't want his daughters "punished with a baby" if they make mistake!!! We don't know Bristol's circumstances, but I'll tell you this, because she and her boyfriend were planning to get married before she got pregnant, they have a great chance of making a wonderful life for themselves. I'm 60 years old, have been married almost 40 years and my husband and myself have a couple of friends who had to get married when we were younger and they are still together!!! More blissfully happy than ever and do not regret their decision to marry at a young age and have a family. Indeed, abortion never even crossed their minds!!!

VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN AND SARAH PALIN!!!

She threw her daughter and her boyfriend to the wolfes to get ahead in politics.Being teen parents is hard enough without being in the national spotlight.She could have at least prepared them for what was about to happen. I think being a parent first would have been the most impotant thing to do.You lead by example,put your children first.

If her daughter had opted for an abortion, you scumbags would be applauding her actions. Talk about hypocrites. You CAN'T kidnap both sides of an argument, as you so often do. From troop support, to women's rights, to racial equality, you consistently get it wrong and argue for or against, as long as the situation suits you. STAND UP FOR SOMETHING OR YOU STAND FOR NOTHING! Where is the condemnation that a 'woman' can't have a job and raise children? Where is Gloria??? If she was in a same-sex marriage, adopted 5 children and was running for office, you democraps would be mauling each other to change parties. Go find some real issues to argue besides the global warming hoax, the legal 'right' to slaughter our unborn children and how guns in the hands of the American public are a danger (unless you need a armed bodyguard). MCCAIN NOT HUSSEIN, sweethearts. Have a fantastic day and I'll see you at Starbucks.