Did I miss something, or is Sarah Palin pro-choice? I believe the press release regarding her daughter's decision to keep her baby stated that Palin was "proud of HER DECISION" to keep the baby.

I was raised pro-life and believe me, there wouldn't have been any "decision", should that have been necessary.

You are absolutely correct.

Her answer parallels that of Dan Quayle (another stellar Republican VP pick) when asked what he would do if his (teenage unwed) daughter became pregnant.

He [VP Dan Quayle] said he would support her decision "were she an adult."

"I would counsel her and encourage her not to have an abortion, but I would support my daughter," Mr. Quayle said.

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Do you always do what you were raised to do? If so, you're unique.

No, she's not "pro-choice" in that she'd accept abortion as a choice, but it sounded that way when she spoke of her daughter's "decision."

I'd like to agree with Obama that this was 'out of bounds' or whatever, but we all know it wouldn't be if it was a teenage daughter of the Dem candidate.

Which, by the way, is the correct answer (IMO).

But not the correct answer according to the Republican Party (as enunciated by James Dobson).

Re: "I'd like to agree with Obama that this was 'out of bounds' or whatever, but we all know it wouldn't be if it was a teenage daughter of the Dem candidate."

If it were one of Barak Obama's (slightly older) daughters, her face would be on FoxNews every night (just tracking her health, of course) from now until election day.

NOt to mention the constant references to teen pregnancy in the "urban" (i.e., black) community. It would seriously undercut Obama's message of 'responsible black fatherhood' and we'd hear that over and over, too.

Wonder if we'll hear how Palin's daughter's pregnancy undercuts her message of 'abstinence-only sex ed,' though?

Hmmm...

If she listened to the message in abstinence-only sex ed she would have waited till marriage. You can bet that they will get married before the baby is born. No way will she be seen as a unwed teen mom.

Palin is not pro-choice in any sense of the word. She believes that abortion is should not be legal under any circumstance. It doesn't matter if the baby was the result of rape or incest.

I wonder what she would say about if the mother had an ectopic pregnancy where the health of the mother was in danger and the chances of a live birth were very slim.

Or we could be treated to an announcement soon that they already are married, but Sarah Palin forgot to mention it (a back dated marriage licence should not be too difficult for the govenor of a state to obtain).

I kind of doubt it, but at this state no amount of chutzpah from the Republicans owuld surprise me.

McCain has already run ads against Obama's children, hasn't he? I don't get American television here, but I thought I saw that headline somewhere.

I agree though. Obama is right that a candidate's children should be off limits. Seventeen year olds make mistakes. They just do. No need to blast Governor Palin that her daughter yields to raging hormones like most seventeen year olds throughout the history of the human species. There is so much more riding on this election than flag pins, houses and one teen mother. The focus should be on the other's policy.

And by the way, that was a classy move on Obama's part. Hope it doesn't end up costing him. :-)

OK. So she’s keeping the baby. That’s admirable. But of course, what else COULD she do? Abortion is out of the question. And adoption would paint an unsupportive picture of the soon-to-be grandmother.

But why in God’s name does she have to get married too? Can’t you just picture the closed-door pow-wow on this one? All those good-ol'-boy strategists making politically-correct decisions for this poor kid? Certainly, getting married is a directive from them. A VP candidate with an unwed teen mother for a daughter is not the GOP’s image of one endorsing so-called Family Values.

I feel so sorry for this kid. I admit that the first time I saw Palin, I thought “the Dems are screwed.” She’s got the wholesome, gun-tote’n, beauty pageant winner package down pat. More and more tho, I see the “picture-perfect Palin” family as repressed and dysfunctional – just like the majority of evangelicals who will vote for her.

"McCain has already run ads against Obama's children, hasn't he? I don't get American television here, but I thought I saw that headline somewhere."

What the hell are you talking about?

Don't worry. Sarah Palin's future son-in-law has a brigth career ahead of him. Should she be VP he would have some high-level position in the McCain Administration. FEMA Director perhaps.

quillsinister:

And by the way, that was a classy move on Obama's part. Hope it doesn't end up costing him. :-)

Classy, I agree, but how could it cost him? The matter is all over the front pages of the U.S. printed press, and in frantic discussion here and elsewhere on Internet forums.

Do you really think his cause would be even better served by running ads on this? I don't, and I'm sure he does not.

This is a case where the classy thing to do also served him. That is fair.

What is not fair is such stunts as the New York Times putting a front page mention above the fold of Todd Palin's drunk driving offense 22 years ago, going for a two-fer by pretending that somehow this is evidence of incompetence on the part of McCain. As the NYT seems to pursue Democratic Party lines and purposes pretty consistently in their news coverage (I'm not objecting to their editorial page), I take this as a bit of evidence that the Party does not mind intense coverage of this matter at all--just a happiness to keep itself one step removed.