What kind of adult hides behind her daughter's pregnancy?

[McCamy Taylor]

If you think about it, this has been Sarah Palin's only major decision since she decided to accept a position that she is unqualified for. When rumors about her child started, most candidates would either ignore them or call a press conference to deny them. What kind of candidate would announce to the world My daughter is pregnant! Here is the kid who knocked her up! They are getting married, so it's ok! Everybody leave me alone!

Hillary Clinton would not have done something like that to Chelsea to distract from some personal crisis. George W. Bush, for all his faults, would not use his children to deflect attention from himself in that way. Neither would George H.W.Bush or Ronald Reagan.

Is this an example of how Sarah Palin handles the normal kind of scrutiny and questions and speculation that everyone in public life faces. What will she do to deflect unwanted negative attention from herself in the future if she actually has power? Invade a country? The quote someone else posted, about how she fired someone when she was a mayor, because he was too tall and he looked at her with a "stern look" makes me wonder if she has the strength of character that is required for national executive office. You need to be able to do what grown ups do---compartmentalize. Brush it off.

As a parent, I can not imagine doing what she did. I wonder how many parents in America are going to find her decision easy to accept. No one wants to act as if there is any stigma associated with the pregnancy, for the girl's sake, and yet, I feel sorry for the daughter. Did she ever have a chance to say No, I don't want to become a political cause celebre?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. She really is shit. Monomaniacal, amoral shit.

[DFLforever]

2. The NE claims they told her they were going to print with the story

So the campaign decided to go public with it before the NE did.

Imo, that's makes it all the worse because revealing the pregnancy became a purely political decision.

Bristol looks to me like she's been devastated.

[Scribe]

3. Mom had to know it would become public when she accepted the nomination

It was a given so the only issue was how and when to make it public.

[pampango]

8. Good point. If the pregnancy is going to become public knowledge anyway,

you might as well try to take control of the spin cycle and release the information yourself. I think most politicians would rather that bad or embarrassing information be released at a time and in a manner of their own choosing rather than waiting for it to be made public in a manner over which they have no control.

[NanceGreggs]

4. Well said, McCamy!

:kick:

[Pepper32]

5. The kind of candidate that preplanned to do this anyway

[madaboutharry]

6. I think that any parent who

would try to force their daughter into a teenage marriage is a bad parent.

[DrDan]

7. are you suggesting lying about it woud be a better decision?

She will be admired for getting the situation out in the open - it was destined to be discovered eventually.

I think you are stretching this.

And how do you know the daughter did not have any chance to voice her opinion?