I'm Falling in Love with Sarah Palin's Story

I think politicians' families are totally off limits. Children are meant to be seen and not heard about. The second they finish the People magazine photo spread, that's it. Mum's the word. Or grand mum. Or whatever Sarah Palin is.

The Palin Family is private. That's why Sarah Palin never, ever mentions her son in the army. Except for eleven lines into the first speech she ever gave as the nominee.

"Our oldest son, Track, though, he'll be following the presidential campaign from afar. On September 11th of last year, our son enlisted in the United States Army. Track now serves in an infantry brigade. And on September 11th, Track will deploy to Iraq in the service of his country. And Todd and I are so proud of him and of all the fine men and women serving the country in uniform."

Except for his name, rank, serial number, when he enlisted and where he's being deployed, not another word.

I also think big families like the Palins are great. Hitler was the fourth child in a run of eight, and Pat Buchanan says he grew up to be "an individual of great courage, a soldier's soldier in the Great War (and) a political organizer of the first rank." And Sarah Palin used to wear a Pat Buchanan For President button, so it's all cool. We're all on the same page there.

And the Palins might seem kind of embarrassing right now, with the domestic abuse and the snowmobiles and shotgun weddings, but they could turn out to be an American dynasty. You know, like the Snopes.

They're good country people. They might be just the breath of fresh air a state funeral needs.

But their family is their business. Except the one (9/11) in the army (9/11). It's all personal and private, and we have to back off, because treating Sarah Palin the same way we'd treat a male politician is sexist. Or something. We should judge her on her positions, if we knew what they were, and her achievements, if she had any.

Here's where I get off board with Sarah Palin's privacy: The baby blanket.

Sarah Palin could have left the kids at home when John McCain called her to Dayton to be his vice president. (It can't be cheap to buy fifteen plane tickets on three minutes notice.) But she couldn't leave them at home, of course. Her family was the whole point.

So what to do about the pregnant, ashamed teenager?

Not John McCain's problem. Get her on the stage.

How do we cover her up? I've got it! We'll make her carry the Down syndrome baby! And a blanket! (Put on this black dress, it's slimming. And we'll have it taken in for the funeral.) Look:

Photo by Jim Wilson / New York Times

Photo by Jim Wilson

Mary Altaffer / Associated Press

Look at her face. My heart breaks for this young woman, and I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm an asshole.

You'd have to be the worst parent on earth to do that to your daughter to get a job.

Read more reaction from HuffPost bloggers to John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin

Comments

[LightningJoe]

Piper is enjoying herself I see.

There was a picture in the Ketchikan paper of her with her mom at some function or other, maybe six months (or more) ago, and she was doing that full-lean thing kids do; where only the fact that mom is holding onto her hand, is keeping her from hitting the floor. And the expression on her face was priceless, "MoOoom, let's goOoo!"

I think maybe she's starting to like the flashes now, though.

[Salz08]

Poor girl...it's a travesty to parade her around and humiliate her in this fashion.

[mbaty]

I think the term "Unwed teenage mothers" has been used in almost every sermon ever given by a preacher in the name of "Moral decline" or the "slippery slope" or how America is not in 'god's' favor because of its egregious moral sins. I've heard it since I was young.

[DAE]

Ahg!. I'm going bonkers! The MSM commentators are all blathering idiots. We're supposed to accept all this nonsense with a straight face? If this country wasn't a laughing stock before it sure is now. If these nincompoops are elected I'd be ashamed to travel abroad.

[Goliadkin]

Don't be ashamed. Just say you're a political exile. Instant street cred. :-)

[mjjcpa]

I love it. She hits Obama right where he lives: celebrity. Underestimate at your peril. She's had a real job the past few years, unlike the community organizer. I can't wait to see her make Joe cry at the debates.

[mairs]

That's funny! Great lampoon of the Right, mjjcpa!

[postman606]

Besides being the Mayor of Mayberry, what's on Palin's resume? This whole community organizer thing is being devalued because it smacks of urban. Obama's has far more depth than someone who went to 5 colleges in 6 years and ran for Miss Alaska. Obama was a law proffesor and Ill State Senator before Becoming a U.S Senator.

[herhonor]

Palin is the one that is coasting through on her celebrity status. Obana is a legal scholar. activist, and career public servant. The only reason the tag of "celebrity" was because he is AA. Plain is the "in your face" beauty queen , sportscaster, athlete, "LOOK AT ME" candidate. Evidently she believes in Marilyn Monroe's advice: "Even BAD publicity is better than no publicity at all"

[marinade]

Is Palin's Charlie Gibson interview on 9/11? Will there be calculated tears for her soldier son? What a great opportunity to further exploit her children.

[JBS]

I expect the "soldier son" might fade from the spotlight rather more quickly than some expect.

Seems it isn't patriotism that motivates him, but the choice of joining the Army or going to jail.

[RedKnuckles]

Palin is a quick learner. Even though the whole world knows her daughter is preggers, she gets her covered up and on stage. Kinda like Ashcroft putting drapery over a statue's boobs at the Dept of Justice...yeah, like we don't know they're there.

[Bond007]

There are more foolish people than smart people in this country. That worries me. Think about it. They voted for the current administration twice,, TWICE! Not once, but TWICE. They are planning to do it again.
Obama answers questions with intellectual facts. That's good for the smart people, but if he is going to win, he has to use very simple small words for the sake of many foolish voters to understand. He needs to use words like "Pitbull with Lipstick" ,, start every answer with "my friends" over and over just to connect with the not so smart,,,you know, such like language. He must stop telling complicated algorithms to show how he will repair the economy. And please, tell them the surge worked. Don't waste time explaining the Sunni and Shiite and Anbar awakening. That way, the foolish voters will catch up with the issues in very simple terms.
Iowa, Minnesota and Oregon are the most educated states in this commonwealth. They already got it. It is states like West Virginia that are challenged beyond intellectual shallowness. Ado to illiteracy, they also tend to see things in color. If you know what that means.

[suzukimom]

Bristol Palin is a beautiful young woman. But at supposedly five months pregnant she is more obviously pregnant than Sara Palin was when she was traveling while supposedly in labor. I hope that the truth about this woman becomes known soon. As is typical of Republicans, she lies. She lied when she said that they were revealing the daughter's pregnancy because of liberal bloggers when in fact it was because the National Enquirer was going to go public with that truth. I believe there is more truth to come and it will serve America to know that truth, whatever the source.

[ignatov]

Speaking of making the kids be an out-of-bounds subject, here's a joke Mccain told at a fund-raiser in 2000: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? ... Because her [remainder of punchline deleted in the name of decency]."

[herhonor]

He didn't! Did he?

[laserbob]

What really scares me about this "ticket", is that in the rush to provide her with her
foreign/war experience, the GOP is working 24/7 to have Alaska declare war on
us here in British Columbia (for those in the US, that's Canada).. That advance
team of GOP lawyers sent to Alaska are there to write up a declaration of war,
not to vet her any further! And we're getting nervous, we started to hide our 6-
16 year old girls this week, and the strong beer is next!!

d.

[ObamaSheeple]

"....Alaska declare war on us here in British Columbia (for those in the US, that's Canada)."

That's not very funny; even though, I laughed out loud.

[Josol]

You don't have oil do you?

[jwb]

"That advanceteam of GOP lawyers sent to Alaska are there to write up a declaration of war"

Silly! The U.S. doesn't declare war anymore. We just start bombing some night.

[j.gold]

SP said her daughter Bristol made a decision to have her baby, how come according to SP I don't get to make the same choice?

THAT is elitist!!!!!

She is nothing but a extremist and we don't need any more of those in the White house. We all know what the last 8 years have been like.

[Heru1]

isn't having sex with a girl under 18 statutory rape?

[ToniChicago]

16.

[herhonor]

In Alaska

[JBS]

It varies state to state. Based on their ages, he's 18 and she's 17 ...

It is NOT in Alaska
It IS in Arizona
It is NOT in either Virginia or Maryland

... there was no age of consent listed for the District of Columbia.

[dadw5boys]

Palins son cut the brake line on an Elementary School Bus and joined the military to avoid jail.

Palin left that little town of 9,000 citizens $ 28 MILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT, an inexperienced staff after she fired so many, and a small dictatorship with all the people she did not fire.

Palin left a legal mess costing the citizens over $ 2 million dollars, SO FAR, in legal fee for scizing property without paying the owner for it to build a hockey rink.

[herhonor]

I would love for someone to document the the school bus brake line assertation

[Josol]

Please send that info to the press.

[joshsantana]

Sara Palin, in a speech, say's "some people promote change to advance career".

And some people such as Palin "Exploit their family to advance their career" why? that's the only issue she can run on. She has nothing to offer the American nation but only "she relates" to their situation. ...

[CTtransplant]

What Palin chooses to ignore is that Obama promotes change not only because it is right, but because it is, without question, necessary! In his case, it has nothing to do with career...so who's she talking about?