Northern Lights

Obama is certainly wise to avoid commenting on the Palin situation. It’s not a good idea to interfere when your opponent is committing political suicide. You will only impede the process. But I strongly disagree with the idea that private citizens are somehow out of line when they address the many policy issues that are raised by recent developments. Democrats aren’t the ones who like to hide under beds with tape recorders. We are entitled, however, to read the papers.

To be absolutely clear, nobody on the planet is trying to give a pregnant teenager a hard time. We are simply pointing out

a. The rampant hypocrisy of Governor Palin in regards to sex education and abortion. c.f. bragging about her daughter's supposedly free choice and also her own free choice about her own pregnancy even though she is on the record as opposing the right of any woman to have a choice in such situations.

b. The way in which the whole affair points out the stupidity of abstinence only sex education.

c. The willingness of Palin to mislead the public--she only fessed up to the family problem because of pressure from Daily Kos and a few other journalists. She obviously planned to keep her daughter's pregnancy quiet until after the election.

d. The political cynicism of McCain in making a rash and spasmodic decision about a running mate for temporary political advantage.

e. The remarkable ineptitude shown by McCain and his staff in handling the whole affair.

f. The way in which picking Palin reflects McCain's subservience to the radical Christian right. Far from being a soaring eagle, he is only a bird in a gilded cage.

For these and many other reasons, the Palin problem is not going to go away, nor should it. But, once again, nobody, except Mrs Palin, of course, is guilty of willfully putting a pregnant teenager through the wringer.