ST. PAUL (CNN) – Bristol Palin, the 17 year old daughter of Sarah Palin, is pregnant and will keep the baby and marry the father, a senior McCain aide confirmed to CNN Monday.
McCain was aware of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy before he chose her mother for his running mate, the aide said.
“Senator McCain knew this and felt in no way did it disqualify her from being vice president,” said the aide. “Families have difficulties sometimes and lucky for her she has a supportive family.”
Bristol Palin, a senior in high school, is about 5 months along, in her second trimester, according to the aide.
The aide said they decided to reveal this information now because of rampant Internet rumors that Sarah Palin’s four month old baby, who has Down Syndrome, was actually Bristol’s.
“In the course of correcting that, we needed to get the truth out,” said the McCain aide.
In a statement from Sarah and Todd Palin, they said they were “proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”
They also asked the media to respect their daughter’s privacy.
The McCain aide insisted a key point to keep in mind is that Bristol decided to keep the baby, a decision “supported by her parents.”
From CNN Politics
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This is what happens when you preach abstinence only.
The party of family values. Cons never disappoint.
McCain sure knows how to pick um.
Why is no one hammering away that Pallin is a creationist? Our country's success has been built of of scientific research and innovation, not Bible study. Unless people are ready for the next dark age, don't let this person take any kind of office.
What kind of pick was Sarah Palin???
guess that's bound to happen when you don't beleive in birth control.
Nice family values. She just lost my vote.
That is so sad..........................
I feel sorry for Palin's daughter that she is going to have become an adult so quickly. She will have to help take care of her brother and now she is going to have a baby herself. I think she must be a very special young lady. That is another reason Palin should have thought about the needs of her family instead of personal ambition. McCain needs better judgement in this choice. Just proves that he is not ready for being President.
just like Edwards campaign manager is the father of Edwards son...it is only a matter of time before we know the truth.
She is paying for her mothers backward way of thinking...don't teach your kids about birth control, let them be mothers at 17!
Thank you CNN... This is exactly why I support your broadcast. You cut staight through the rumor mill and get the facts... Good JOB!
That is exactly the role modeling America needs. Sexually active teenagers understanding that an "oops" demands personal responsibility on the part of mother AND father. This new life deserves nothing less.
Proof that abstinence only education DOES NOT WORK!!
I don't think the daughter should be villified for this, but doesn't it go against the family values platform they were apparently trying to highlight by picking a self proclaimed soccer mom with 5 kids?
Great parenting clearly. Must not have gotten "enough" of that abstinence only education.
So, a staunch conservative with so-called conservative family values has a 17 year-old daughter who engages in pre-marital sex. So much for winning over the conservative base, John. I bet Mitt Romney's looking pretty good right about now!!!
Mcbush has proved why AMERICA cannot trust him for another four years. If he had any sense, he should have vetted this woman fot the sake of country first. What an Idiot...
Why would any lberal have a problem with a pregnant teenager?
She may get extra votes now.
Oh No! what does this mean for teenage pregnancy around the United States??
What are we condoning??
Roe v Wade...here we go.
She wants privacy but she can't keep her nose out of someone else's uterus? Nice.
How cruel that Sarah Palin is making her daughter marry a man she probably doesn't love.
So, Bristol got pregnant while she was missing school because of Mono or was that a lie too?
This smells funny.
Wow, she must instill incredible family values in her children.
Any Obama supporters who try to exploit this (and some will) are as bad as McCain himself when he made his infamous Chelsea Clinton joke.
yet another thing that makes the average american be able to relate to this family......
lol so much for the "Family Values" of the Republican Party. McCain's finished.
So much for family values, huh Repubs? LOL!!!!
I'm sure somehow the McCain camp is going to blame Obama and liberals that Palin's daughter is pregnant.
How is this news?? And why should we care?
I guess that abstinence-only program worked wonders for the Palin family.
I'm sorry, but we CANNOT have people leading this country that have teenage children having babies. Shame on you Senator McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for acting like this is normal teenage behavior. Teenage pregnancies are a problem in this country and saying you are "excited" is not the right message.
I don't care!! Levees being overtopped in New Orleans. A pregnant 17 year old I don't really consider news.
Shae can't even run her own family.
McCain VP pick Sarah Palin has a 5 months old baby. Now, her 17 years old teenage daughter is 5 months pregnant. What in the hell is McCain thinking? This VP pick is getting more ridiculous with more information that we are getting about her.
Republican voting for Obama/Biden 08
Oh wow, where was the "abstinence only" theory when you really need it?
May be some sex education and birth control would have allowed this young girl to get a college education and find out what she really wanted to do with her life instead of bearing the heavy responsibility of raising a child when she is still a child herself.
But she has a mother who says even if her daughter were raped, she would oppose abortion...
well,, thats grt,,,i still believe in pro-choice tho in certain situations,,,best of luck bristol
That´s the future of the American women – bearing machines to fill the millitary. She should have taken Chelsea Clinton as a positive example.
Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant! Shows you how well her policies on teen pregnancy work! Cna't get her own daughter to practice abstinence, and wants to impose it on the whole country.
Let's apply Palin's right-wing radical values to the whole country. Let's ban condoms and sex ed! Teen pregnancies for all!
Do you mean she is not mother of the year like the GOP has told us? I wonder if she was a better mom to her daughter would this had happen. She cares more about her political future than she does her family!
Can't help but wonder how bible-belt conservatives are gonna take this news... I guess we'll see.
lets see how they spin this one into some pro-life example for all 17yr olds..how can the parents of the US possibly tell their daughters its not ok to get pregnant at 17 if we allow the VP's daughter to do it? This is disgusting and an absolutely horrible example to the young ladies of our country....
So much for high minded Republican Morality.
The Republicans are fools, Bristol Palin, not included. She's just a kid.
This decision by McCain just gets more and more ridiculous. His poor judgment is being showcased for all the world to see.
Congratulations to the Palin family
This is the dirtiest of dirty politics.
Are you kidding? Who is going to believe that especially since they only had one meeting and one telephone call!!! This adds more controversy over his selection.
Wow this was a horrible pick by McCain.... absolutely HORRENDOUS!
OKAY , a Blogger, proud of Palin, says she does not even believe in the use of birth control.
Is this actaully TRUE? (what about for teenagers, and women over 40?)
McCain and Palin are deeply divided on abortion BTW. He votes to fund pro choice groups, she would not, he is okay with abortion in rape and incest, she is not.
Maybe there should be a candidate / running mate DEBATE!?
What is his stand on birth control?
Wow. good parenting Sarah.September suprise!
Pathetic!
So is the McCain campaign saying it's okay for young girls to get pregnant at a young age? Is this the overall message in him selecting this UNVETTED VP?
And more importantly.... did the rest of the GOP GANG know this?
I bet this will tick off the left that she is actually keeping the baby! At least there are some teenagers WHO STILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS, as opposed to those women hiding behind PP and NARAL lobbying groups who want the government to make these decisions for people...with taxpayer dollars!
Maybe someone should show VP Palin and her daughter to use Birth Control. Having an accidental child at 43 is medically irresponsible and a strong reason he has down syndrome.
Some "family values" you got there Palin.
Ever hear of birth control?
God bless this young lady and her family. Gov Palin instead of running for VP, stay at home with your kids.
And Evangelicals are happy why? Is this pre-marital sex?
Okay, I get that, but if she is so out there in family values, would she not have preached more on using condoms or get married first, then get prego for lego? Serously, I want a president, who say's to what they back, back to what they say, not say, and then not do...
Well, good luck to her. Hope she has a healthy baby, but it will be interesting to see how long the marriage lasts.
These kids ever hear of birth control? Oh wait–they're right-wing Republicans. I forgot.
Case in point: Abstinence only education does NOT work...
Oh, ok. So NOW we're talking family values? One is divorced with children I've never seen... and the other has a pregnant teenage daughter? Yet the RNC is the values team? I'll stick with the Dems, thanks. The hypocrisy is astounding.
so it begins............I'm sure there is more revelations! So much for her family values and integrity.
Can election 08 be more interesting? Now we have ourselves the Britney Spears of politics.
So this is Sara Palins family values ??? and McCain "knew" about the pregnancy ans still selected her ?? Disgraceful ! Maybe Sara Palin should have been at "home" watching her own daughters behavior better, and didnt Sara Palin "instill" better values in her own daughter ? we are supposed to now trust America to a woman one heart beat away from being president to Sara Palin, who couldnt even control her own daughter ? I dont think so !!!! Sara Palins nomination should be immediately taken away from her if she wont have the decency to resign !!
i'm sure this will blow over well with evangelicals and conservatives, what kind of example is sarah palin exactly trying to set? i mean it's her daughter's choice to keep the baby but has bristol (and her mother) not heard of contraception? and so much for abstinence, good luck arguing that mrs. palin!
So much about a candidate who would support abstinence only programs in schools. A blow to the short-lived jubilation of the conservatives.
Who cares? Are you trying to scare the conservatives away from the McCain/Palin ticket? It won't work.
This could bite them in the butt, I don't see any reason someone would attack after this cause, familes do have diffcult times.
Obama-Biden 08
sarah palin has a lot of her plate. a newborn of her own, running for the vice presidency, and now a pregnant teenage daughter. looks like she should be focusing on her famliy....
This is just the beginning!!
By no means do I consider this to be good news for the Obama camp. A 17-year old being pregnant is rarely good news.
I do think this does, however, make sex education a prominent campaign issue. McCain/Palin can't really argue for abstinence only education anymore.
Whether we like it or not; whether we agree with it or not, young people are having sex. We need to be sure they have the education and ability to at least do so in a safe manner.
Well, congratulations and I'm glad to see that responsibility is being taken.
I just love the false Republican values. McCain has shot himself in the foot.
And we should buy the spin that Palin has "real leadership" creds when she can't even control her own teen age kids?
Remember America, this is the person that the rebubs are trying to put "one heart beat away" from becoming the POTUS and the guy she's backing up is 72 freakin' years old!
"WAKE UP AMERICA – the McCain/Palin ticket is a fraud!
The Palins are bravely facing a very difficult moment for their family. I'm an undecided voter, but the Palins are my kind of people.
What a conservative family?
See, Bristol Palin made a choice. She chose not to use birth control or to have an abortion. But if her mother had her way, even married couples would not have a right to birth control. And of course she would deny any female the right to choose abortion under any circumstance, including rape or incest. Imagine telling a rape victim "too bad, we are FORCING you to carry your fetus to term." Republicans believe that women are nothing more than baby machines.
Sounds like a abstinence only sex education success to me.
"The McCain aide insisted a key point to keep in mind is that Bristol decided to keep the baby, a decision 'supported by her parents.'"
That is a key point indeed. Bristol got the chance to make a "choice." Under McCain's leadership she won't.
Congratulations to the "proud," "pro-family" grandparents-to-be!
Did not know this election was an American idol , real world sob story election. No wait it was about issues right?
Comes to show you that nobody is perfect even if you are a, "CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN OR IN HER CASE A CONSERVATIVE FEMINIST". Some High School relationships work however not all. Wishing her the very best for the future.
I respect this lady and all that she juggles with family is truly impressive. However, I also now a lot of mothers doing the same with their careers and family. One of them my mom, who has 5 kids, 2 jobs, and raised all of us to succeed personally, and professionaly and still has a 12 yr old left. I think my mom is the greatest person but she is in no way ready to be V.P because she does what a lot of mothers do. How is palin going to be dealing with global threats, and domestic issues with 5 kids, 1 infant, 1 pregnant, and 1 in iraq. That's too much distraction, especially considering she's a heartbeat away from replacing a 72 year old, with a repeat recurrence of his cancer.
What I find interesting is her he support of abstinence only education. Wow, what a reformer and forward thinker.
Mr. and Ms. Palin need to monitor there chlidren before they decide to tell the country whats good for it.
U don't get to ask the country to vote you in as a vice-president and think ur "personal life" is not an issue...it was an issue for Bill when he had a "personal affair", nor was it "private" when every word that came out of Rev. Wright's mouth was taped onto OBAMA...so NO...i will not ignore that this woman can't even teach her daughter about "safer sex" and then think she's qualified to run our country...if she wants privacy...go be a grandma and don't ask to be vice-pres...cuz if it had been chelsie who was pregnant...none of the GOP's would let it go...they'd beat it like every other dead horse they come across....Palin is not HILLARY and she's insulting every american trying to be....
Man, this pick keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to hear the spin on this "family's values"....ha ha ha.....
Please let this turn out bad for the McCain-Palin people
I'm glad Miss Palin has a loving supporting family, and I wish her all the best.
I'm disturbed that Sarah Palin opposes comprehensive reproductive education and opposes choice for others.
WOW -it seems that no one in the Palin family understands how to use birth control.
What scares me most is that I'm not shocked.
wow, this is what the repugs are going to teach our children. Okay to get pregnant as a teenager and eventually marry your baby dady regardless. STOP! am not saying she should get rid of it. I have to clarify because i know the conservatives will jump all over it. If they are such conservatives, shouldn't they be teaching thier child abstinence? Teenage pregnancy is a real problem nation wide so the repugs should look again at prevention, contraceptives, condoms etc. as they cannot follow thier child everywhere just like the rest of us.
Another abstinence only success story. It's going to be an interesting next 60 days as this woman gets vetted by the public since McSame doesn't appear to have done a thorough job.
A mother who cannot manage the family is chosen to be the future second in command of this country.
What lessons is she going to give to the teenage generation of this country and world about teen pregnancy and child birth???
I think some may say this points to the "family values" that the Palin family respects. I see this in a different light. I see a mother "Nominee Palin" who already has five children, and her daughter who is having a child at 17 as a sign of irresponsible behavior on the families part. I think in an age when birth control is available and resources are tight around the world a family that large shows a lack of understanding and self control. Nominee Palin seems like a smart woman, but I don't think she's thinking big picture about her, and her families choices and how they affect the world.
Sarah palin is no role model,maybe if she had more time on her hand she would know what is going on in her daughters life.bad bad move john insane!
This is NOT good. What about the policy to reduce teen pregnancy? What kind of message this family is trying to send to our teenage daughters?
This family is NOT what average American families are and it is NOT what we want for our children.
Good Luck Bristol here in Northern California Support you
So the party of "family values" is propping up a man who cheated on and dumped his first wife after she was disfigured in a car accident, and a 44-year-old grandmother.
Nice.
Interesting that they chose to release this statement when everyone's got their attention focused on Gustav, not to mention on a holiday...
Stop digging someone else' privacy! It is none of your business.
Your report has made me vote for Palin!
WHAT? The Abstinence Only program did not work?
wow great job McCain!! Another "conservative" republican and family caught in a sexual/immoral scandal. now i wonder how old the father really is? can we say "statutory". I am a life long Republican and even McCain's "conservative" pick makes me sick. More reasons to make me feel that voting democrat this election is the right choice!!
I'm confused as to how or why this is considered "Breaking News" by CNN. Apparently disappointed that Gustav didn't blow New Orleans off the map, they are now setting their sites on other issues of obvious national importance.
It was stated somewhere that one of her daughters has been missing from school, iI guess this is the one that's pregnant. This Palin can't even run her own house watching over her children, how is she going to run the country?
"Excited to be grandparents?" Really? Headline should read "17-year-old Forced to Have Baby and Marry Teenage Father to Advance Mother's Political Career".
McCain's choice of Palin was out of impulse and fueled by hopes for personal gain. This was not the best choice for our nation and will likely derail the Republican ticket.
Why is this news? She's a fundie. They don't teach about safe sex in schools.
These people have no shame! Lecturing us on "family values" when Palin's daughter has been messing around with her boyfriend! Palin putting her political career before the care of her special-needs baby!
Talk about irresponsible! Talk about using your family as political props!
This hypocrisy is typical of the Republican Party. Wake up, America! You really want these yahoos running the show for another 4 years?
Obama and Biden are men of integrity, committed to their families and to serving our country. The choice is pretty clear – Obama/Biden 08!
Nice, this woman was too busy running a state with 600k people to make birth control a priority for her kid. Obviously!
One heart attack away from the oval office? No, thank you.
Great !! Good start for the 'abstinence works' folks. Did her mother not have the 'birds and the bees' conversation with her ? Is CONDOM
not in their vocabulary ??
I had to double check that I was reading political news not the E channel. Is McCain trying to win the presidency or get a starring role in Desperate Housewives???
This makes Gov. Palin's opposition to sex education in the schools a much more significant issue, doesn't it?
I believe this ia brave decision by a young girl and commend her choice. But, we should aknowledge that it is a choice. I do wonder if her parents did discuss with her the options of abstinence, birth control, etc...
Obama/Biden '08
Unlike Obama likening his daughter's potential pregnancies as "being stuck with a baby," the Palins will "stick" with their daughter and welcome being grandparents.
How old was she when she got pregnant, 16? Who is the father? Doesn't Sarah Palin think maybe she should spend more not less time with her kids to avoid adding to the national problem of teen pregnancy?
whoa didn't see this one coming: my thoughts, well, okay. i feel bad for the girl bristol. i mean, she may have had sex with the guy, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he is the love of her life, and she may not want to marry him and live with a guy she doesn't love for the rest of her life, merely for the reputation of her mother. i mean, a child will know immediately if their parents don't love each other, and when they figure out that they are the reason that the mom and dad are unhappy together, there will be a lot of guilt. it doesn't matter how much the mom and dad love the kid, if they live together under the same roof, and dislike each other, the kid will know and feel guilty.
i think this should not be an issue on the campaign trail for either of the campaigns.
obama/biden 08
May the media, democrats, republicans, male, female, black, white, red, young, old, healthy, infirm ALL AMERICANS remember: "Let him who is WITHOUT SIN be the first to cast a stone."
This is just the start of what is going to be a lot of dirt coming out about Palin.... bad choice McBush.
Think carefully, is THIS the woman YOU want for VP and most likely the next President sometime after 2008?
way to instill responsibility in your child. she looks like such a nice mother. when president obama restores our education system ,children will learn more personal responsibility. it is a disgrace when parents don't parent. i have to wonder about her parenting skills when she's willing to take on a national campaign ,with a special needs baby in tow ,or being taken care of by others.
Who cares? (For all the smart people who are going to say they do, why?
Wow! What an example for all teenagers out there...and is coming from the most unqualified vice president in the history of this country!
HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTERS: We cannot let this woman make history before Clinton. Clinton has worked her whole life for women in this country and around the world. She is where she is today because of her hard work and not because of a political calculation. Hillary deserves to make history. It belongs to her. Let's elect Obama this fall for him to star the agenda, that both of them have, so Hillary can finish it in 2016
it would have been historic if Hillary had gotten the nomination. It was historic that she made it as far as she did. Yes, it would be great to have a woman in the oval office, or in the VP slot if they are the right woman…a woman who got there with her own drive, grit, determination, intelligence, skill and merits. When you’re hand-picked by a man to win votes simply because you are a woman, that doesn’t count, and it doesn’t break any kind of ceiling. Would we have had a Stan Palin as our VP pick? No. So choosing a woman because you think her gender will get votes is insulting.
I wish Bristol Palin the best but I do feel that Gov Palin should withdraw from the race. She should be concentrating on her family right now. It's fine for her to be a working woman but not at the VP level of politics. Her daughter needs her right now. Gov Palin show us that your values are in the right place and make the right decision for your family and the country. In case anyone feels that I'm biased in any way, I felt John Edwards should not run either. He and his wonderful wife Elizabeth had enough on their plate and could not truly put the country first.
Sen McCain – if indeed you were aware of this young girls pregnancy before you picked Gov Palin, then it only reinforces that you were reckless and did not consider the needs of the country.
I thought she was a supporter of abstinence only?
I wonder what the next rumor will be aimed at Palin's family will be.
It's a sad shame that politics gets like this during every major election.
Tells you so much about the family. She cannot even bring up her kids properly. How is she going to raise this country of this mess we are in.
Just the sort of family values one has come to expect from the Republican Party.
Good for her, may God bless them
Such hypocrites are these Republicans! You talk about family values as if you have any any and then your VP candidate failed to instill these values to her underage daughter, who is know knocked up. What a disgrace!!! Clearly this young girl should have been educated about using contraceptives since the Bush administration's ignorance about abstinence-only sex education has failed miserably!!
Now we're hearing about the CHILDREN of the candidates?
Just when you thought the media coverage couldn't get more off-topic.
I don't care about Obama or McCain's houses, or their misspeaks.
I don't care whose wife wears what. Or what their children wear.
I don't care where any of them goes on vacation.
I care about the economy, energy independence, and healthcare.
CNN, figure out how to address issues that are important to voters. This is the WORST media coverage of an election I have ever seen.
What happened to those republican values ?
It's like Cheney. It's okay for the Right to preach that the government should interfere in our personal lives and choices, until it happens to their family. Then they want their privacy respected.
Hopefully, all will work out well for all children involved and that this will cause the governor to rethink the hypocrisy of her social platform.
It's too bad Palin does not support sex-ed in school, but rather wants families to educated their own children.
Ha!
And she supported the bridge to nowhere in 2006.
That's their campaign slogan: Bridge to Nowhere
um isn't Palin an Abstinence only supporter? How do we expect her to promote that throughout the country when she can't even teach her own high school daughter that. Hypocrite, I'm very interested to see how the republicans spin this.
So a minor in Sarah's household gets pregnant, and she thinks she has time to run the country. What a phoney and a fake.
So much so for the Evangelical warior keep on law of God and break the other farce!politics
Wow! Talk about a bombshell!! What happens now?
How ironic this news comes out on a day that New Orleans faces a hurricane and it's likely not to get much attention.
Once again, the republicans say one thing and do another.
Every family has issues and mistakes are made. It's the decision making that's done afterwards that's key. Duel working parents, family member with a disability, teenagers that find themselves in difficult situations.. I don't think anyone can say that they are not in touch with the typical American family. It would be nice if we could combine the life's experiences and difficulties of ALL the candidates.
these are the family values of which the right wing speaks? Somebody put a fork in McCain, I think he's done -
of course mccain knew this when he picked palin; this'll be spinned, used, and abused so mccain can court the conservative base and turn this election away from issues like the economy, education, and healthcare to divisive issues like religion and the war. bush won two elections by making the word liberal a bad thing. mccain is terrified, and probably overjoyed by the fact that this 17 yr old is pregnant.
Did the daughter "decide" to keep the baby, or did the parents "decide" for her?
It'll be a moot point if McCain/Palin win in November. At that point McCain will seek to change the balance of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, thus helping everyone to "decide" to keep the baby or slip into some back alley to break the law.
And Palin believe and wanted to teach abstinence only in school! She obviously failed as a mother, how can we trust her as a leader?
I don't really care that her daughter's pregnant. This happens. What bothers me is that it will turn into a talking point for the media and the political parties. This is a non-issue.
But Palin's stance on abortion worries me, as does her stance on drilling in Alaska, and off-shore drilling, and her immense lack of experience, and so on and so on.
I would have taken McCain a lot more seriously eight years ago.
The mind boggles at this.
What was McCain thinking?
NO
all this on the heels of internet rumours that Sarah's youngest son is actually her grandson. The Republicans release this story now – by the time the election comes around I'm sure we'll see a "miscarriage" as I believe Bristol is not pregnant now but was previously.
Today is the happiest day for Americans. God is exposing their values and morality. Republicans 're fake preachers and fake people.
This is so laughable!
The viruous, "we dictate how other live and hwo they love "party is headed by an adulterer and has picked a woman that was not able to instill the good sense) forget values!) to not get pregnant in her daughter.
I am not judging the young lady and wish her, the baby and her soon to be husband a long happy life together. I am judging the party for which her mother is the VP choice.
We are dictated to by McCain about values and that only a man and a woman can be married, yet he had several women during his first marriage. We have a Presisdent form that same party that tells us how to live our lives and what we can do with our bodies, yet he was the drinking drug abuser. Now we have a pro-lifer, anti gay marriage VP canddiate tell us her daughter is preganant. Isn't she gald she had the choivce to keep the baby. A choice that is not available in all countries because the government intervenes in peoples personal lives!
Can we use her family as an example of why faith-based sex education doesn't work? Because it doesn't, folks.
I totally understand that families have hardships and difficulties...but c'mon now - you want this woman in the White House? She can't even keep control of her family!! And why on earth would anyone seek to be in the office when you've got a full plate that includes a seriously challenged infant to take care of??? Her priorities are a wee bit out of kilter it seems to me. I'm all for a woman in the White House - someday - but she's not the right one.
So Ms. Palin told McCain this on the first and only day she met him? Yeah right!
Focus on the Family Values?
Oh well, it happens to even the best people/families. At least she's not going to kill it/get rid of it. If it were Obama's decision, he'd have the baby aborted late term, then let it die on the table, as he supported/fought for in Illinois but is now (with the help of the liberal news media) covering that up.
Spare me the wholesome garbage. This family is a fake.
whoa didn't see this one coming: my thoughts, well, okay. i feel bad for the girl bristol. i mean, she may have had sex with the guy, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he is the love of her life, and she may not want to marry him and live with a guy she doesn't love for the rest of her life, merely for the reputation of her mother. i mean, a child will know immediately if their parents don't love each other, and when they figure out that they are the reason that the mom and dad are unhappy together, there will be a lot of guilt. it doesn't matter how much the mom and dad love the kid, if they live together under the same roof, and dislike each other, the kid will know and feel guilty.
i think this should not be an issue on the campaign trail for either of the campaigns. please, cnn and all other news organizations and all politicians, leave this girl alone! she has enough to deal with right now!
obama/biden 08
Had Michelle Obama had a pregnant daughter, you could cancel Christmas...clearly this woman was never vetted. McCain doesn't even know her or much about her. Picking her was the height of irresponsibility.
Oh GOD! Sarah Palin as VP and then future President with a teenage pregnancy in her family! This is screwed!
NO WAY! NO HOW! NO MCBUSH/PALIN!
Who cares if Sarah Palin is soon to become a grandmother? Congratulations in advance to her, her daughter, and the baby's father. What I care about is the danger in electing a creationist to the second-highest office in the land! Everyone who believe in absolute separation of church and state, please stand up.
So the only reason they told the truth about the under age girl being pregnant is because because of the rumors about the other baby being the daughters? Hmmm...... I wonder why they picked the day of the storm to come out with this news.
uh oh. trouble for the republicans. i guess the daughter didn't take a chastity vow.
What age it the father? Who is the father? Why didn't Palin announce this to her constituents in Alaska. If she is so proud to be a grandmother why did she wait this long?
Republican "Family Values" hard at work!
One way that Palin can convince us would be for her to present her pregnant daughter to the media so that they can certify the veracity of McCain campaign's claim.
Hiding under the respecting the privacy of their young but pregnant daughter will not cut it. Alternatively, Palin should provide a DNA evidence that shows that the child is hers.
Inquiring minds will keep asking questions until she proves that the baby she says is hers is not really her daughters.
so what does the religious right have to say about that? Sure they'll spin it into a momentous event. Oh WAKE UP AMERICA!
just what we need to know about their family .....tough luck bad news for the palins not good family values and marriage at 17 maybe thats alaska maybe she is celebrity like jamie lynn spears nb
Exploiting the kid to reinforce your pro-life position uh grumpy?
The Republican agenda does not support womens contraceptive choices. The yound lady probably did not feel comfortable getting the appropriate birth control. If your mother was a very conservative Governor of Alaska, would you go to a doctor and then go to a pharmacy to obtain birth control? Children who are 17 years old do not choose to get pregnant. This sort of thing happens by accident.
Where were the parent at when this happened....Probobly out hunting or getting a brother in-law fired from his job
A teenage pregnant unmarried daughter! A down syndrome baby.. I am sorry... this is not the personification of the right wing family values. What happened to the preaching of abstainence? Ms. Palin, your children need you. Go home!
I love the Republicans: trailer trash party to the rescue. They wanted to hang Clinton, but hey, a 17 year old unmarried and non college educated girl having pre marital sex, why that's just dandy with the Republicans. Hypocrites to the core, in just a few short weeks, to coin a phrase by that fool, Gerald Ford, our long national nightmare will be over. And it can't happen soon enough. Before this country becomes the laughingstock of the world.
this is like when an executive gives an underqualified good looking woman a prime position in the company.
So, a child with down syndrome and a pregnant teen, yet still wants to be 3000 miles away in D.C. and devote long hours away from home as VP. Are these really the family values the neocons preach about?
Oh yea its quite amusing that people think her journalism degree from idaho and 2 years as a governor for a paultry state with more oil piplines and polar bears than people is more experienced than obama's degree's from columbia and harvard along with his 12 years of teaching constitutional law, the foundation of america, to some of the brightest, most challenging minds in the world.
Hmmmm, very odd. Great role model for teenage girls.
How ironic.
Because of Sarah Palin's 19th century ideology, her failed attempt to impose abstinency on a 21st century teen, and her stubborn refusal to provide contraceptions and sex ed, Bristol's life has been ruined.
Palin's ideology on sex CLEARLY doesn't work. Not for her own daughter, definitely not for the whole country!
Are we sure we want this for America?
Impressive christian upbringing. That's what the country needs an out of wedlock pregnant teenage in the White House
I guess since mom kept the first baby for herself, the daughter wanted another one to call her own.
Even if she does marry the father, she has still committed adultery and is under 18 because she got pregnant BEFORE marriage and will probably have the child before marriage unless they pull off a quick 4-month wedding! Way to go "conservative" Republicans!
This is what happens when you refuse to teach teenagers about contraception. A condom costs 75 cents, a baby costs many hundreds of thousands of dollars before he or she turns 18. Gov. Palin doesn't believe in contraception. It's really a shame her own daughter has to be a victim of her mother's stone-age ideology.
Perhaps Sarah should rethink her commitment to her family and pay more attention and spend more time with her own children. Obviously her daughter had too much free time and not enough adult supervision. This is the type of family values that the Republicans are proud of? Teens will be teens, but with a watchful eye parents can help them avoid pitfalls such as teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol.
I will pray for this child and hope her mother realizes that this is a cry for her attention.
Bristol's pregnancy is evidence of how out of control Sarah Palin's family's life has become, because she is so focused on her own needs and career ambitions, that she has neglected her children, forcing Bristol to look elsewhere for the love and attention that she so desperately needs. The fact that John McCain knew of the pregnancy and still offered the Vice Presidency to Mrs. Palin is outrageous. Both McCain and Mrs. Palin have ignored this child's cry for help in the name of politial ambition. The inevitable media storm will do nothing to improve the emotional and mental health of this damaged family.
Wow, it just keeps getting better, huh? Only met her once before picking her, she's pro-ANWR drilling, pro-big oil, anti-choice, under investigation for corruption, and now this.
Of course, if she DIDN'T keep the baby, I bet Sarah Palin would have her fired from whatever job she has.
Now that's family values! Get pregnant , then get married....and then divorced after high school....then do it all again.....................nothing like the 9 months of darkness in AK.
All should protect the privacy of the young mother here. It's too bad such inflammatory accusations (regarding Gov Palin's infant son actually belonging to the daughter) have to spill over and affect innocent young adults. It's laudable she is allowing this baby to live. It's clearer now than ever the Palins are an average American family with the same challenges all have. Certainly this speaks to initial point Sarah Palin is one of us.
Oops! I thought republicans got married first then got pregnant.
Honestly...who cares? This is not a tabloid, and Bristol is not running for anything. It is a sad state of affairs when a teenage pregnancy is politicized. Lets leave the girl alone, and lets focus on making sure the baby will grow up in a prosperous and safe America.
Back to the issues!
Obama/Biden 08!
It figures. I knew it was just a matter of time before the real Palin was exposed. She can't even keep a grip on her own family. Daughter got pregnant actually at "16". Gonna get married at "17" . Obama will be the next president by a landslide.
I must be totally ignorant because I fail to see how this qualifies as a valid news story. Granted, I realize there is a sleaze factor the media may be trying to exploit, but this is a private matter and has absolutely nothing to do with this candidates qualifications to run as a VP. In fact this type of story, will only divert attention from her inexperience and emphasize her position on one issue (abortion rights) which has absolutely nothing to do with how this person will run this country. I simply don't understand how CNN could run this story as "breaking news" It is totally irresponsible and only perpetuates the problem with american politics today.
McCain is a joke. Seems to already show signs of senility. Palin,our next president? We cannot afford to let the additude of undercover bigotry continue to mess this nation up! When willwe realize this and call it likeit is?
T.. Simon
As someone who had a child at 17 I know how hard this will be and think that when the Dems attack her they need to remember a few things. Number one is that there are tons of us that chose to keep our children. Number two is that BHO already said he would not want his children strapped with "no baby" so his first reaction – no matter what his daughter wanted – would be to murder the child. The media will bash this poor young lady and CNN will lead the way but it would be wise to watch how you attack "us".
You know, having an infant with special needs, and now a pregnant 17 year of daughter, maybe Sarah Palen should concentrate more on her own family then trying to run the lives of millions of families in this country.
Now the Dems can run an ad with McCain and Brittany Spears' little sister. So much for family values.
Congratulations to the Palin family. No doubt the Democrats will use this private family issue to their advantage - what a shame. If this had happened to the Obama or Biden families, everybody would applaud their situation. However, everybody is looking for a way to make everything the Republicans do look negative.
Ouch.
I doubt it's a rumor. If your daughter is 17 and pregnant with her second child, you've made some parenting mistakes. If you can't keep your family in line, what makes you think you can be president?
Weren't the Clinton's supposed to be the "hillbillies" of US politics?
Its highly irresponsible for Palin to take an 8hr flight without informing the airline after her water broke from Dallas to Alaska knowing she was carrying a high risk pregnancy at 44. To accept a VC nomination having a 3 months old and pending grandchild from a teenage mom who will need all the support confirms a troubling character trait. Reckless!
Yeah, that looks like the belly of someone who is five months pregnant. Hmm. I wouldn't be surprised if Bristol miraculously had a miscarriage in the coming months.
Even if this statement is true, what horrible mother puts her own interests above her daughter's? She knew her teenage daughter was pregnant, and would be subjected to public humiliation and spectacle, but still decided to run for the second most visible political office in the country? Wow. Mother of the year, right here.
This is not news CNN. Got anything about the economy? Job Loss? Inflation?
Keep it up you hacks.
Teenage sex before marriage, huh? So much for conservative / Republican family values. Wake up America, and don't be fooled by the hypocrites in the GOP. Vote Obama / Biden.
Keep Bristol's privacy......what a joke. Welcome to the party! McCain realy has some bad judgement. If he actualy knew that Palins daughter was pregnant before he picked her. And he thinks this doesnt matter. If Palin cant look after her own daughter properly, what does that say of her? By the way, how old was Sarah Palin when she had her first child...I bet u she must have been 17 too, so its OK.
I could forgive McCain if he had said he didnt know, but then again...he met this lady only once, thought she was beautiful and intelligent and picked her for VP (she was once Miss Something right!!)
My opinion.
Meck, Vanc.
Ah – good old family values platform. Senior in High School, knocked and pregnant. Love the irony.
Hypocrisy at its best. Isn't she conservative christian evangelical whatever? Anyway how dare mccain gamble our country away for his political gain with this clown of a women who is so far right she is off the charts? She has far far less experience than Obama who has 8 yrs as Illinois Senator and 4 as US senator and mccain bashed him for that yet its okay for mccain? Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy. Can't wait though til the evangelicals get a hold of that. Talk about christian morals, that is certainly off the table. I actually think this is funny and serves mccain right, what a claim. This man is a joke.
And this is a presidential candidate with good judgement???? McCain, you just blew it. This is who you chose to be second in command???? You'll NEVER have my vote. There are far too many other things that are going to come out about Sarah Palin. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Well, this is really not that relevant in my opinion. On the other hand, if this happened in one of the Dem candidates' families, I can just imagine all the ugly slurs coming from the Republicans, so I won't fret too much over some jibes coming in towards Palin.
I don't believe the rumors.
That said, I find her daughter's pregnancy awfully convenient.
Rumor or no rumor, however, Palin should have kept her daughter's affairs out of the spot light.
So much for the family values argument. Palin couldn't even manage her own family, how is she going to manage our country if McCain dies? We'll be in WWW3 before you know it with all of our civil liberties lost. I think it's time to start looking at the expatriate option if these two shallow thinkers make it into the office. It will be an utter disgrace to admit being an American under a McCain/Palin administration.
You never hear any of these character issues on the Obama/Biden ticket. Our country will be much safer with the sound judgment of the democratic ticket.
This is hilarious.
So much for the Republicans' so-called "family values" and their stubborn refusal to support sex education and birth control programs that would have prevented this tragedy of children having children. And now she's going to marry the guy, no less, adding insult to injury!!
The obviously superficial vetting process that went on before McCain chose Palin is coming home to roost. God knows what other skeleton's lurk in her closet, but I hope the media unearths them before November. And McCain says she's his "soulmate," no less!!
McCain and Palin dishonor themselves, the political process and the voters of this country. If having Britney Spears' family in the White Hous isn't enough to convince people to vote for Obama and Biden, then I fear for the future of our nation!
Conservative? Family value? To all voters out there who vote solely based on moral issues and continue to think that the republicans are morally superior, you're havin' a laugh.
At least the dems are upfront and honest about their sleaziness.
Same old politics. Remarkable timing to relase this information. Goes on to show how Republicans have been mastered the art of presentation but not managing a country and an economy
This just keeps getting better and better! 'Desperate Housewives' has nothing on this. Glad I don't care who wins, just enjoying the show!
It appears that Mrs Palin does not have control of her own household, should something happen to McCain how can you expect her to have control of the White House.?????
So. . . This Is Her Second Baby At Seventeen? Or Am I Wrong? Im Not Sure The Other Baby Is Hers Or Not. As A Father Of Twin Girls I Will Try To Teach Abstinence, But Will Allow Them To Be On The Pill Also. I Just Think 17 Is Young To Start A Family! Education First. . . Then Family If Possible! Must Be Hard When Your Mother Does Not Believe In Birth Control Of Any Kind!
So, in the course of 'correcting' the previous pregnancy rumor, where is the correction??? I see no direct response to the question of whether or not Sarah is baby Trig's mom. Can we get a simple yes or no?
Just saying no doesnt always work does it?
Glad to see the abstinence only education the Republicans push on everyone else works just as well on them.
This confirms that the Palins are an average American family dealing with average American issues. God Bless them for standing by their daughter. God Bless their daughter for deciding to give birth to this child. I would say this is a great American family. My prayers are with them.
This is so funny and crazy! She is not a good role model. Yet another unmarried teenager having a baby. Sounds like another Jamie Lynn Spears. How can she lead the nation, when she can't control and watch over her family. I believe that you should wait until marriage before having sex. That is no longer the norm so you should at least wait until marriage before having a baby. Babies having babies.
It looks like McCain wanted more drama in his campaign
Paul 2012!
Big deal. No different than Obama's parents.
This is just what our country needs. A first lady drug addict and a vice president with a welfare grand daughter with baby daddy drama. Now I see why so many of my fellow Republicans are staying at home. Just wait to see the Dems spend this one out of control.
Give me a break!!! What is left to know about this bunch. This just shows how little respect John McCain has for the office to which he and she aspire. If he can choose someone so grossly unqualified, then he does not have interests of the American people as his first priority.
Wow...so much for the 100% abstinence education in our schools that Palin supports. This candidate just keeps getting better and better.
Well, I guess Bristol won't be attending the Purity Ball. Geez, that whole family is something right out of Jerry Springer.
While I am an Independent favoring Obama this term, I can only hope his camp isn't stupid enough to attack Palin over this. I think Palin is a good politician, and if McCains choice didnt reek of political maneuvering and pandering, it may have even been the best choice. As it stands, his choice firmly planted me on the Dem side. Now...had he chosen a supremely qualified candidate like Romney....
So much for good old family values!
Sounds like maybe Ms. Palin should focus more her children than politics. An infant with downs syndrome needs its mother at home too.
Guns, babies and Jesus may just win this election. I put Palin right up there with Harriet Meiers and "Heckuva-job-Brownie".
It's deliciously ironic that the right wing continually condemns Obama for having little experience (8 years in the senate?) but then chose a mayor of a small town with less than 2 years of governorship (a state with 600,000 people) as it's VP. Truly amazing.
Really? It seems to me that it's republicans who messed up this country by inexperience.
I can't wait to see Biden destroy Palin in the debates.
Abstinence only education in the works!
This is all so surreal. What will the next headline reveal?
Hum... the truth comes out huh. It does explain the new baby. It doesn't explain why it took 4 days to come out. Given time, we would of found out. I can't figure out how a woman with a downs baby and pregnant 17 year old can find the time to be a mom in all the attention that is required to be VP of our country. Priorities are important to me as a mom, grand mom.
This is the pick that keeps on giving!
Obama/Biden 08'
They are proud that she's having the baby and proud to become grandparents. I'm sure as Conservative Christians they are even more proud that their daughter was having unprotected sex as a minor before she was married! Hurray for their parenting abilities!!! After all, being a mediocre mother of 5 qualifies Palin for the 2nd highest position in the world! I mean....that's the most impressive part of her resume besides being mayor of a town of less than 9,000 or being Governor of the 3rd least populated state in the country....but hey, it's not as if McCain's choice for VP was a gimmick at all..............
What on EARTH! What kind of family is this? How is this OK? Is this the message we want for our children........it's OK to be unmarried and pregnant at 17. I think the Republican Party and John McCain have lost their minds!
Let me see if I have this straight - Sarah Palin is gladly sending her son off to Iraq, and her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. As a mother, she's a nightmare.
All this is fine and good...But if she is this SOCKER MOM as they have tried to portray don't try to project this goody 2 shoes image in front of AMERICA!
There is no more privacy.....hasn't anybody noticed she's running for the VP of the USA.....her life in case she doesn't get it, is no longer PRIVATE, and that includes her whole FAMILY....Have you forgotten BILLY CARTER?
Interesting. Mistakes happen but what about all this "values" talk. Kudos for McCain taking that risks.
High school baby mama. That is a reality in the states though.... Wow McCain blew it...
Oh yeah... Obama '08
Respecting thier privacy, is keeping the baby for "pro-life" stance to teenage grils justified?
Wow! What will "Values Voters" have to say about this when it's one of their own?
Sad she thinks her career is more important than keeping an eye on her large family. Dragging her 3 month old special needs baby on the road, her 16 year old is getting pregnant and instead of letting it play out Sarah Palin lies and says her daughter has "mono".
Palin is running on "judgement", not experience...this is the type of "judgement" she has?
Rescind the VP offer, go home and take care of your family. Seriously.
WOW! LOL Republicans and their preach of morality and values.... believe me she is the mother of the six months old boy Sarah is the grandmother....LOL Republican 're sinking like Titantic.... Where is Sen. Craig?
Poor girl. Her private mistake is now national news because of her mother's ambition. What a burden for a 17year old!
Game over. Here is the public reaction whether you are a dem or rep.
5kids!!!!! One with Downs??!?! How old is She? 44??!?!? What??? What is she thinking?!?!? Mayor of a city of 8000?!?! My high school had about that many students, heck many university had 3 times that many, no big deal… Govenor for 20 months in Alaska?? where is the proven leadership the Republicans keep talking about? Now her daughter is pregnant!!! This is what happens when you spread yourself too thin and not spend the time you need with your children….Where was Sarah?!!?!? Running for mayor or govenor during those formative years…..It would not be an issue if the Republican did not control the national narrative on family and moral values. Oh but didn't McCain cheat on his first wife and then divorced her to marry Cindy just months later who turned out to be an addict stealing from her own charity. Wow…….. And I have not even mentioned the failed policies of Bush that McCain and Palin both pledge to maintain…
And how many times did McCain meet Sarah Palin before making her the VP Candidate ahead of no less than a half dozen well qualified running mates?....Oh yeah... 1 time.... with McCain the picture of health an longevity (McCain has had cancer 4 times!!! and is the oldest candidate who is not running for re-election) ..Sure Palin is a natural choice.......can anyone say 'Dementia'....
like I said Game over McCain …..Game Over…..
Okay, I will admit it, I was wrong. There is a God and he has a sense of humor.
Keep those conservative views and keep preaching absentince over protection. That always keep teenage hormones in check.
Lightning said
"This is what happens when you preach abstinence only."
I could not agree more.
While I feel sorry for this young girl, I blame her parents as well for not being "real" and discussing with her the "birds and bees."
Forcing this girl to marry to save what image Mrs. Palin has left is a travesty in itself, however. It is not the dark ages, Mrs. Palin. Your daughter is still a child.....be a good parent by sticking by her and helping her. Not by forcing her to do what the RELIGIOUS RIGHT would have you do.
Are teenagers not suppose to be in school? Of couse some will say what's wrong with this pregnancy. But shouldn't a person aspiring to live in white house give some good examples?
What kind of example is this to set for our teens. We have been trying to control teen pregnancy. Now we are telling our teens it's okay as long as you get married the father and struggle the rest of your ife. Or for some teens they may say My Mom is wealthy to take of my future problem she's Vice President.
If the blogs are true, this will be Bristol's second child. I am very disappointed in Palin's policies, but do not preach about being the mother of a downs child if you are covering up for your daughter's poor choices.
Instead of running for political office you should have been paying attention to your daughter. OOPs did I say that. How old is the guy? Was it rape? Must have been a cold day in Alaska, I guess the energy (oil) wasn't enough to heat up things.
Can't any of those Palin women every say NO??? This family gives trailer trash a good name.
I think America has far too much of the Palin carbon footprint right now.
I am in the U.S Army (17 years), are you kidding me? Is John McCain smoking crack? This woman can end up being in charge of the MILITARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!H%^ NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please God, Help us, we know NOT what we are doing. IF McCAIN WINS, I WILL LEAVE THE SERVICE EARLIER THAN I THOUGHT, SCREW THIS CRAP, MY FELLOW SOLDIERS ARE ALREADY FEELING THE SAME WAY. THIS IS AN IRRESPONSIBLE CHOICE BY McCAIN AND WE CANNOT AFFORD THIS, NOT NOW, THE MILITATY? McCain met with her ONCE AND SHE IS READY TO BE VICE PRESIDENT, SOMETHING SMELLS REALLY BAD, I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE MIT OR ANOTHER WOMAN WHO ACTUALLY HAS SOME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE. THE WORLD IS LAUGHING REALLY HARD AT US. IF McCAIN WANTS THE MILITARY TO TAKE THINGS SERIOUSLY HE NEEDS TO ALSO. HE JUST COMPLETELY LOST MY VOTE.
nice family ... values :d