Monday, September 01, 2008

Allegations About Palin's Child

"Daily Kos" recently published detailed circumstantial allegations that Sarah Palin's child is not her own, but is actually the out-of-wedlock child of her oldest daughter. That posting has now disappeared from the web site where it originated. How interesting!

I've looked elsewhere on the internet to find any reference to this allegation, but have found none. No democrat or republican has come out to address the topic. The question is hanging out there, unresolved. Maybe the charge was a lie, maybe not. I expect lots of news organizations, and especially the National Enquirer, are digging for information before they decide to take on this unbelievably hot potato.

Is the question important? You bet! Already, much has been made of this child in the campaign. Palin's decision not to abort her fetus when she was aware it would not be normal has been trumpeted as a personal validation of her "right to life" position. That position would still stand if the child was actually her daughter's. However, if it is confirmed that the child was not Palin's, but instead her daughter's out-of-wedlock birth, the political implications would be major. It would reflect on Palin's success as a mother, and it would reflect on her truthfulness and integrity by claiming she was pregnant in order to avoid an unfavorable public reaction. It would result in many people deciding McCain's choice of her for vice president a terrible mistake, and perhaps finish his campaign.

So, now we wait for this situation to be resolved. It should be a simple matter to confirm the facts one way or the other. There are likely more than a few people who know the truth, and perhaps some who might be in legal trouble if the true mother's name was not disclosed.

I'm torn when I think about this. Based on personal experience I know that the unfortunate actions of children can be dismaying but also require parents to continue unconditional support. If the allegations are true, I feel genuine sorrow for Palin and wish the best for her family. However, if true, the allegations also provide much justification for deeming her unfit for high office. A massive public fabrication of the "facts" of this situation would be totally unacceptable.

The silence is deafening. If Palin suddenly decides to withdraw from the nomination, we will know why. If she files a suit for defamation and and settles the matter in her favor, "Daily Kos" should be and will be pillaried and discredited. But who would deny that this question should be resolved promptly?

8 comments:

Woozie said...

I don't think it would necessarily reflect on her success as a mother, teenagers can be very strong willed and go against any level of parental authority. Or they can be very stupid.

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Anonymous said...

It's been debunked, although not for the reason Republicans would have hoped for.

The family disclosed today that Bristol is five months pregnant- which means she could not have been the mother of four-month-old Trig.

They made this announcement at almost the exact same time that Gustav came shore, virtually assuring that the press won't spend a lot of time on it.

I updated my post: LINK

Dave said...

The facts as known as I type, indicate to me that the McCain campaign is inept at best. As I understand it, McCain knew that Palin's daughter was pregnent when he decided on her as VP. The time to announce her daughter's condition was a day or so ago. Now, having hidden it, they get the bad bounce, for no reason.

What the story says to me, coupled with the choice of Pailin in the first place is that McCain doesn't have very good judgment.

Dave said...

Sorry for the mispellings.

Life Hiker said...

So, it didn't take long for the suspense to end. Sadly, however. Palin's family must be really struggling with their daughter's pregnancy, and I do feel for them.

To put this in a political perspective, it seems absurd to have a vice president with a special needs baby and a pregnant 17 year old daughter. As the conservatives would say, "Family Comes First". Sarah's got too many important jobs at home.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear of Palin stepping down in the next few days.

Ron Davison said...

Maybe the RNC will run their coverage during the daytime soaps instead of prime time. It certainly sounds like it would fit in there.