The Numbers

Palin may be a good political candidate but how can a mother go off and leave her pregnant daughter when she is at a crucial time in her pregnancy and how can she leave her own 4 month old to go out and campaign. Her husband is a commercial fisherman and to my knowledge they are asea for long periods of time

It just beggars belief. Palin's wishful thinking on teenage abstinence is undermined RIGHT UNDER HER NOSE, and she tries to present it as some sort of "Mission Accomplished".

Does she think we're all idiots? Or deaf?

Oh for heaven's sake....this is a teen age girl who made a mistake. Let us not forget that we had a Democratic President who had SEX with an intern while in office. HE CERTAINLY KNEW BETTER BUT STILL LIED ABOUT IT!!!! Neither is acceptable in the minds of some but it's easier to forgive a teenage girl than a grown adult Man who is supposed to represent all of the USA. Let me say this....HE DID NOT REPRESENT MY VALUES!

First of all, it's a shame that the face of Bristol Palin is being smeared all over the networks, while the young man who is EQUALLY responsible for this pregnancy hides anonymously in the shadows along with his family. Our news media is a twisted source of information, that preys on the weakness of our fellow man. This pregnancy has nothing to do with Palin's qualifications for vice president. We should all be questioning the ethics of the media, who prefer cheesy sensationalism, instead of important issues. The sexual mishaps of young love have nothing to do with our Presidential campaign, and it's pitiful that the media doesn't realize this, and is allowed to continue with this type of reporting.

Carol,if this was Obama's daughter having a child, you people would be making a huge deal out of it. To say that you wouldn't is just a lie. and everyone knows it.

It is so funny the Dems are playing this up all the while, because of the Dems, we as tax payers are paying for and promoting non married women, reguardless of age, (who are illegal) to have babies. That's right, illegal women get free health care and benefits for their babies and no one has any thing to say about it, from the dem side. It is only a talk point when they think it will help them.

I wish more mothers would view there job of raising their children as an important career. I am not blaming Mrs. Paulin for her daughter's situation, everyone makes their own choices and must live with them, but too many mothers have given up the fight to make a difference in our children. It is often easier to do other worthwhile things in this world, then it is to day after day put in the hours and work it requires to raise our children with values, morals and love that will help them become the people we hope will lead the next generation. Sadly we show our children every single day what is most important to us by our time and energy choices. I do not think that any woman trying to raise 5 children should have a stressful outside of the home, time consuming job--our children need us and most would tell you in a heartbeat that it is not the things that matter, it is the time and love shown to them that make them feel loved and important and you will never get second or third chances in that area! I hope the daughter will try to teach her child that.

When you preach Abstinence only Education, Family Values,Pro-life,etc,etc. and your teenage daughter becomes pregnant, it kinda proves to be a failed policy.

I think it is hysterical to see the "family values" party scrambling to defend Palin and her daughter. I guess this is what happens when you teach an abstinence only based program. The child (Bristol) did not chose be in the spotlight, but her Mom knew exactly what was coming. Why did Mcain choose her again? I would think this was more funny, if I wasn't so terrified that this woman might be in charge of our country someday.

WAKE UP AMERICA DO YOU REALIZE THIS 17 YEAR OLD IS HEARING, HOW BAD SOME PEOPLE THINK THIS IS, AND HOW SHE IS MAKING HER MOM LOOK BAD.
SHE IS HAVING A BABY, AND NOT SMOKING CRACK, OR HURTING PEOPLE.
SHE IS A KID AND TRYING TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
THANK GOD SHE IS BEING HONEST, THANK GOD
I AM ALL FOR SARAH ,SHE IS REAL AND NOT F FAKE. GOD BLESS BRISTOL PRAYING SHE CCAN HANDLE THE PRESS AS BEING TEEN IS HARD ENOUGH.

i think that bringing the daughter into all this is crazy. they need to focus on her ability to serve then to worry about her daughter. her daughter probably did it because her parents said not to or she did it because she wanted to knowing what the outcome could and did happen. the girl is 17 she made her decision. now she have to deal with it. so we need to again focus on who it going to be in the whitehouse

The focus of this should be the issues.
Palin does not support sex education in schools, she supports an abstinence-only curriculum, apparently this doesn't work all the time. If GOP can use her 17 year old and 4 month old they've made her positions fair game. Her positions and judgement are the issue, leave her children alone.

I agree with Senator Obama. The children of the candidates are off limits. Palin's daughter and her pregnancy have nothing to do with this election. It is a non-issue! The only ones who will make it an issue or try to, will be...surprise, surprise...the media!

Annie: I have to disagree. Bristol is not making her Mom look bad. Her Mom is making *herself* look bad by trying to spin this as some sort of triumph of muddle-headed "family values". I'm sure Bristol is a great kid - it's just her mom seems to be in denial and expects us all to join her there.

I'm all for family values myself, but it has to be underpinned with sense of realism and honesty. Palin's gushing about how "proud" she is of her daughter seems fake. If it was my daughter, I'd kick her butt in private and maintain a suitably humble and embarrassed silence in public.

I was a pregnant teen mom at 17 as well, and it is hard enough to deal with the shame and decisions that you have to make at that point without having others judge you so harshly! You people who are condemning her are ignorant. Have none of you made mistakes??? At least she is taking responsibility for her actions!
This should have no bearing on who should run for president and vp. Your focus as a voter should be on the actual issues, not on gossiping about a young girl! You should not be focusing on Palin's ability to parent either because if she had been a man this wouldn't even be an issue! Please stop being gossip-hounds and vote based on where the candidates stand on the issues and who you think would be the best one for the job!
(And I'm sorry but Gary Langer--- I don't know where you got your statistics, but I was a teen mom and I not only finished high school, but I also went on to college. And I knew a number of girls that were teen moms who went on to college as well.)

She should drop off the VP and stay home, watch for her family.

Abstinence only education does not just tell students not to have sex. It explains the dangers of unprotected sex - unwanted pregancy and getting infected with STD's. If the methods planned parenthood promotes are fail proof, why do we have students presented with that philosophy getting pregnant. Abstinence is a choice that is presented to students. The choice is still up to the individual.

So funny that this is none of our business, private family matter, but Clinton's private affair became a HUGE polital issue for Republicans. So hypocritical and two-faced. IF palin wanted to keep this private, she should never have agreed to run as McSame's VP.

Politics aside - I wonder what the discussion was in the Palin househould of the impact on their daughter before Sarah's acceptance of the V.P. position. Surely they would have realized that this would expose her personal situation to the world. I have to wonder why parents would subject their child to this type of attention.

Guess that's what "Family Values" means to a Republican---politics first, family last