The fact that Palin's daughter has a pre-marital pregnancy is sad, but it is not the real issue... The issue, that even the right wing blogs are pondering, is "What the hell was wrong with McCain's judgement?".

This revalation reinforces the speculation that McCain acted rashly, and without sober thought when he picked Palin. It appears, and as facts emerge they only lend creedence to this appearance, that McCain was in a rush to 'Get a woman' in a clumsy attempt to appear more attractive to women voters, to appear progressive... In this rush to hit that target, he fired off a blind shot worthy of Cheney on a hunting trip.

As details emerge we are forced to choose between 2 possibilities:

1) McCain was aware of the ever growing list of negatives attached to Palin, yet chose her anyway- despite having options that were far more qualified, and presumably less scandal ridden... (Is it REALLY that hard to find a Republican cleaner than Palin?!) This option gives good reason to question his judgement, and his sanity.

2) McCain was unaware of all these problems, and apparently Palin neglected to tell him about them. He was in such a rush he skipped the intense vetting process. This is seeming more and more plausible. This explanation calls into question his judgement, and Palin's honesty.

Does ANYONE here believe that she was really vetted by the McCain people befor he chose her? REALLY?

This is what makes ALL that is coming out an issue. Add to that his 'abstinence only' stance, and Palin's stated desire to teach morality (presumably hers) and creationism in schools I think it is natural for this to be a topic of discussion.

More and more about Palin is coming out, and it just keeps looking like a crazier choice by the hour:

The following if from the NYT this morning

Among other less attention-grabbing news of the day: it was learned that Ms. Palin now has a private lawyer in a legislative ethics investigation in Alaska into whether she abused her power in dismissing the state’s public safety commissioner;that she was a member for two years in the 1990s of the Alaska Independence Party, which has at times sought a vote on whether the state should secede; and that Mr. Palin was arrested 22 years ago on a drunken-driving charge.

.....

A Republican with ties to the campaign said the team assigned to vet Ms. Palin in Alaska had not arrived there until Thursday, a day before Mr. McCain stunned the political world with his vice-presidential choice.

Although the McCain campaign said that Mr. McCain had known about Bristol Palin’s pregnancy before he asked her mother to join him on the ticket and that he did not consider it disqualifying, top aides were vague on Monday about how and when he had learned of the pregnancy, and from whom.

....
With time running out — and as Mr. McCain discarded two safer choices, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, as too predictable — he turned to Ms. Palin. He had his first face-to-face interview with her on Thursday and offered her the job moments later.

“They didn’t seriously consider her until four or five days from the time she was picked, before she was asked, maybe the Thursday or Friday before,” said a Republican close to the campaign. “This was really kind of rushed at the end, because John didn’t get what he wanted. He wanted to do Joe or Ridge.”

....
In Alaska, several state leaders and local officials said they knew of no efforts by the McCain campaign to find out more information about Ms. Palin before the announcement of her selection, Although campaigns are typically discreet when they make inquiries into potential running mates, officials in Alaska said Monday they thought it was peculiar that no one in the state had the slightest hint that Ms. Palin might be under consideration.

“They didn’t speak to anyone in the Legislature, they didn’t speak to anyone in the business community,” said Lyda Green, the State Senate president, who lives in Wasilla, where Ms. Palin served as mayor.

....
“I started calling around and asking, and I have not been able to find one person that was called,” Ms. Phillips said. “I called 30 to 40 people, political leaders, business leaders, community leaders. Not one of them had heard. Alaska is a very small community, we know people all over, but I haven’t found anybody who was asked anything.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26501863/?GT1=43001

By Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY
ST.PAUL — In her nationally televised speech accepting the job as John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she "championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress" and opposed federal funding for a controversial bridge to a sparsely populated island.
"I told Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' on that bridge to nowhere," Palin said Friday in Ohio, using the critics' dismissive name of the project. "'If our state wanted a bridge,' I said, 'we'd build it ourselves.'"

While running for governor in 2006, though, Palin backed federal funding for the infamous bridge, which McCain helped make a symbol of pork barrel excess.

....

"We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge, and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that's so negative," Palin said in August 2006, according to the Ketchikan Daily News.

The Anchorage Daily News quoted her in October 2006 as saying she would continue state funding for the bridge. "The window is now, while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist," she said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-31-palin-bridge_N.htm?csp=34

Quite a few right wing blogs have expressed dread at these developments, and the clumsy handling of the release of the pregnancy news has a lot of people on both ends of the political spectrum scratching their heads. (There was a good discussion on the Charlie Rose show last night... Talking heads from both sides were befuddled by what seems to be a fiasco)

Will they try to spin this to their advantage? Of Course, but even the spindoctors seem to be confused and waiting for cues from McCain- again an indication that this campaign was caught off guard, and was umprepared. The damage done by releasing this news and effectively cancelling the first night of the convention AND lacking a cohesive spin to run with will go down in history.

Will McCain spin all this into a positive? Its possible, but has he shown a glimmer of that kind of political brilliance this week?

The spin machine is slowly pulling itself together and getting back to work, but they have lost a lot of momentum. I am not feeling glee at the Palin's personal tragedy, but I feel no guilt in enjoying the almost biblical series of plagues hitting the McCain campaign, and their ineffectual handling of them.

They prayed for rain on Obama's acceptance speech, and now they reap the whirlwind....