McCain Defends Veep Choice Regardless of Family Scandal

By Pamela Mortimer

In today’s world, many people don’t think twice about an unmarried young woman becoming pregnant. However, the issue may cause problems for Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, Republican John McCain’s choice for VP. The Sarah and Tom Palin recently announced that their 17 year old unwed daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. As a rule, Republicans tend to be a conservative sort and what could be viewed as a moral scandal might upset the presumptive presidential campaign’s chance of winning the vote. McCain’s camp disagrees however, saying that the Palin family’s business is a private matter.

Not long after the announcement was made about Palin’s daughter, a reporter approached
senior McCain adviser Doug Holtz-Eakin to ask if the campaign was experiencing a "sense of panic over the love child issue."

"All kidding aside – a little respect. I mean ‘love child' issue?" he responded. "I mean, this is a young woman. She is 17 years old, and I believe that treating it with a little bit of respect is appropriate. This is the governor’s daughter. It is their issue. It is something that we believe should be treated with a lot of respect.

"This is clearly something that we have a lot of concern about: the future of this young lady. She’s a wonderful woman. From the campaign’s perspective, we have an outstanding candidate who is a governor and she has a family. She loves that family, and this is their business."

He would not tell reporters at a Christian Science Monitor lunch Monday whether he knew about the news before the statement was released. "It doesn’t matter when I became aware," adding that the Palins’ statement "speaks for itself."

"They are now conscious that their daughter will have to address the great challenge of raising a child sooner than they might have hoped. And that they are being supportive of her and the man that she will marry and they would ask that we respect their privacy and I think out of respect for that request that’s probably all we should say.

"…I said what I think we ought to do is recognize that the governor was completely vetted by the campaign," said Holtz-Eakin. "Senator McCain has complete confidence in her as a running mate and as a future vice president of the United States, and the particulars of the family life of the Palins is really something that’s best left to them."

There will be disappointment for those who may think Sarah Palin hoodwinked McCain into the nomination. The McCain camp knew about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy before the Arizona senator approached Governor Palin last Friday.

The Palins issued a written statement asking the media to respect the family’s privacy.

"Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media to respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Democratic nominee Barack Obama agreed, stating on Monday that the announcement has "no relevance to Governor Palin’s performance as governor or her potential performance as VP."