Babygate!

John McCain’s impetuous choice has just jumped up to bite him in the rear. This is no minor matter from his point of view. He certainly would not have chosen Gov. Palin as his running mate if she had told him that Bristol was effectively an unwed mother-to-be, so it must be that Gov. Palin held out on him. Accordingly, she showed terrible judgment in keeping such a loaded secret, and he demonstrated an unacceptable gullibility in failing to demand and obtain total disclosure of all relevant facts before he announced her as his running mate. All of this assumes that the little boy is in fact the Governor’s son, and not that of her daughter Bristol. I haven’t reached any conclusions about that story, that should be resolved in short order by disclosure of relevant, dispositive medical records.

The treatment of Gov. Palin’s daughter by the right wing, lifting her up as a paragon of right-to-life virtue, stands in marked contrast to the recent savaging of the younger Spears girl and her mother for her “Hollywood morals.” The essence of fair judgment is applying the same standards to everyone who is being judged. Indeed, it appears that the Evangelical Right has forgiveness for its own in abundance, and condemnation in equal abundance for those who do not share their views.

This is far from a private matter. If the governor supports laws that would restrict a woman’s right to end an unwanted pregnancy, obtain access to birth control, or even be educated about the basic “facts of life,” her own family situation provides an object lesson on the folly of these policies. As the first woman VP, and mother of five (or four, perhaps) the voters would expect her to deal meaningfully with women’s issues, and if the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I want no part of her cooking.

Practically speaking, it also seems that the governor has her hands full with family matters. It is inconceivable that with an infant with Downs syndrome, a pregnant 17-year old in the house, a new son-in-law to cope with, and three other children to care for, that she can handle the affairs of another 300 million American citizens. This is not sexism. If her husband were trying out for the job, I’d have much the same concern, although it is comforting that he can handle a team of huskies, which must fit him for some sort of service in Washington.

With the nation’s international prestige hanging in the balance, with Vlad Putin giving us the raspberry, Ehud Olmert losing his position in Israel, Musharraf off his throne, Pakistan sliding into the Taliban’s hands, the dollar precarious, the oil-producig nations resurgent, and the economy on the edge of a precipice, all we’d need is for McCain to kick the bucket, and put Miss Wasilla in the White House. Might as well just bring back the Decider and send in a hurricane to seal our doom.