Scrutiny

I've spent some time thinking about Sarah Palin.

A lot of time. An inordinate amount of time. This whole scenario is fascinating to me, for a number of different reasons.

I could claim that I'm really not judgmental. Which would be a lie, because we all are on some level, aren't we? (Trust me, from the blogs I read, in which people share their thoughts and opinions on every little thing, the answer is categorically Yes.

And I'm not going to claim that I am some perfect parent whose children are without flaw and who always makes the right decision, the best choices. We're human - we make mistakes.

The thing is, I'm not claiming that I'm qualified to run the country.

Palin is the governor of Alaska, pop. 683,478, which means it ranks 47 out of 50 states. That makes it smaller than Indianapolis, which is the 13th largest city in the United States. Prior to serving as governor of Alaska, she was mayor of a town of 9,000.

Alaska has relatively low taxes, and because of a surplus in state petroleum revenue in the 1970s, the state has an annual surplus that is distributed to citizens. The amount varies, but is often close to $2,000.

In other words, this is not the most challenging governorship in the country.

Also - and I'm not afraid to say it - I am wondering about the state of her personal life. Which I would not be questioning if she were a private individual. But she's not. She is a governor, and she is running for vice president. Thus it is all open for discussion. If Bill Clinton's marital troubles were our business (and in some sense, they were), then her family life is just as much our business.

Teen age girls get pregnant. Happens all the time. My concern is that Bristol Palin, five months pregnant, is evidence that abstinence-only sex education does not work. A federal study whose results were released in 2007 showed that abstinence-only curricula not only did not deter kids from having sex, but that the kids who did choose to become sexually active did so without taking proper precautions.

Experts with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States agree that the best programs are ones that encourage abstinence but also include information about contraception and healthy practices.

Thus Palin's adherence to the beliefs in abstinence-only education would seem to be out of touch - something her own daughter is now a testament to.

I have read a lot, heard a lot of theories about the timing of this announcement, speculation about the real story, curiosity about the McCain campaigns vetting process and decision-making strategy. All of it is rumor.

But the fact remains: A woman with very little experience, who has had trouble teaching her own child how best to manage her private life, has been suggested as the best person for the No. 2 job in the U.S. government. McCain's own strategy was to nail Obama on his lack of experience, a tactic that will now backfire.

And surely, surely they don't really think that disaffected Hillary Clinton voters will turn to the McCain ticket because of a conservative evangelical woman.

Another anecdote: Palin waited until she was seven months pregnant to announce the impending birth of her fifth child. At eight months, she traveled from Alaska to Texas to speak to a group of fund-raisers. While there, she began leaking amniotic fluid. She delivered the speech, then flew eight hours from Texas to Alaska - changing planes once - then drove another 50 miles in order to deliver the baby, born shortly after she arrived.

The baby was born with Down Syndrome. Palin returned to work three days later.

Draw your own conclusions. I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with her decision-making here:

- high-risk pregnancy (baby had already been diagnosed)
- traveling in eighth month of pregnancy
- water breaks = possibility of infection. Any medical professional would tell you to get to the hospital ASAP
- flying without doctor's consent, presumably without notifying flight personnel, while in labor
- returning to work three days after giving birth to a baby with special needs

A friend told me once about their minister, who also had a pregnant teenage daughter. He was honest about it, which she appreciated. But how, she said, can he run our church when he cannot even keep his own family in order?

Fair question? I guess it's up to voters to decide - including her own mother-in-law, who says she may not vote for her. Would you put your daughter through this scrutiny, knowing that the press would be all over this? If your daughter had a serious boyfriend at 17, would you talk to her about the possibility of pregnancy, offer to help educate her? Or just tell her not to? Would you try to have a public official fired because of their relationship with family member?

These are all things McCain did not find out in the incomplete vetting process on Palin. What else don't we know?