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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Bristol Palin pregnant -- right now

Posted: Monday, September 01, 2008 11:58 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:

From NBC's Mark Murray
Reuters: "The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.
   
Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said. 'We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,' the Palins' statement said. 'Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support,' the Palins said."

*** UPDATE *** Here's a statement the McCain camp released from Todd and Sarah Palin, which is identical to the quote in the Reuters story: "We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us. Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."

"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."

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Comments

Are you kidding me? What type of so called values is Sarah Palin presenting to the nation when her 17 year old daughter is pregnant? Is this the Spears family? This VP pick is utterly a disater!
Well so much for being conservatives. That what we need is sending signal to our 17 yrs old it is ok to have sex at that age and get pregnant. These conservatives and their moral values.
Maybe if the Conservatives were not so against teaching birth control this might not have happened to Bristol Palin.
well at least it isn't hannah montana lol. oh, i love the republican's family values!
I smell a cover-up.  Is Bristol going to have a miscarriage soon?  Would not be surprised!

Already a darned ol' soap-opera and not even month into the selection.  Get this scummy mess off the air!
So she got pregnant when she had mono?  If she got pregnant 5 months ago, wasn't that during the time she was pulled from school because of her sickness?

This smells.  

I don't care so much about the pregnancy but the cover up which is symptomatic of someone willing to lie to the public.
What Christian family lets their daughter get knocked up? Screw this I'm not voting.
another role model yeah!

maybe she can pass baby details back and forth with the Spears' girls.

and the high school girls from Gloucester MA.

Could we bring more drama and a less knowledgeable candidate to the Vice Presidency?

Nice job of abstinence. A 17-year-old still in HS, pregnant and going to be married. Why not give the girl sex education and contraceptive? For chrissakes, this is the example we want for our kids. Nice job, neocons.
Uh, was any vetting done on this woman???  

So, Jamie Lynn Spear's mom for VP?  I guess that abstinence only training didn't work, yet again, as it never does.  Obama is right, we need to work towards finding ways to reduce the number of this type of "surprise" pregnancy.
So much for strong family values. Maybe McCain should have tapped Britney Spears mother for VP.

Mrs Palin, I still would like to know why you never did look pregnant with your 5th child, and why Bristol disappeard from school for 8 months. Seems like you may have your 2nd grandchild on its way.
Go ahead, make hay of that, you small-minded, vicious Obama supporters.

On a more amusing note, the latest Democratic talking point is that Obama has plenty of experience to be president, because he has been running for the office of president since he was elected to the Senate.  You people CANNOT seriously believe that people are stupid enough to swallow that.  Oh, wait.  You were stupid enough to swallow Obama.  Never mind.
There's not much else to do in Alaska in the winter...
This woman is an idiot. She isn't smart enough to realize McCain only picked her because she has ovaries which apparently are in overdrive in her entire family.  What a disaster!  And now they are taking advantage of Gustav. The Republicans screwed New Orleans once - guess they don't go back for seconds.
WHAT????  
OMG! IT'S THE SPEARS FAMILY IN DISQUISE!
THAT'S GREAT MCCAIN, PICK SOMEONE WHO'S WHAT 16 YEAR OLD PREGNANT. GUESS PALIN IS A REAL ROLE MODEL.

How, what about the child that's 4 months old?
Who's is it??
Who's taking care of it?
Obviously not the mothers.

Good Luck McCain! You are gonna need it!
Wow, but we all the rumors and photos, I'm not surprised. Especially with the photo published by McCains daughter herself with a backstage photo showing a very big Bristol (I was wondering if she hadn't lost her weight if the original pregnancy rumor was true). Not surprising they were hiding her on the bus at events. Don't want to be too political, but it just goes to show the decision making process of John McCain, very scary. And now you have a VP candidate with a 4 month special needs baby and a pregnant teenager. Perhaps you should spend some time getting your family values in order before assumming a campaign for VP. This ticket is a dysfunctional or prototypical (depending on how you look at it) example of what the Republicans and the conservative right wing are all about.

Check out the link to Heather McCain's blog, her actual photos. Look near the end at an obviously pregnant Bristol.
http://mccainblogette.com/postings/083008_0928.shtml
Many will jump on this as indicative of a lack of family values or something. Those who do will be acting in poor taste and boorishly.  I don't think Sarah Palin is qualified to be Vice-President, not to mention POTUS.  The fact her daughter has made some poor choices and has to pay the consequences, undoubtedly shocking and disappointing her parents is not relevant to the political arena.
Anyone who goes down that path is engaging in the dirty kind of smear politics we don't need anymore of in this campaign.

Just because I'm for Obama doesn't mean I'll jump at any opportunity to criticize the opposing side. I hope other Democrats feel and act the same.
I think the article should point out that this is her SECOND child. Trig being the first...
Will someone in the media acknowledge this VP pick is a joke FINALLY!!!

http://strategy08.wordpress.com
ABSTINENCE....It works great!
Hmmm, wonder exactly how much personal choice Bristol had about keeping this baby?  I think Mommy dearest may have done some arm twisting on this one.
FAMILY VALUES?????????????

REPUBLICANS - WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

FULL OF HYPOCRISY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OBAMA/BIDEN 08
Oh please. Give me a break. My parents were very very good influences, very moral, but I made some mistakes as a teenager. I knew about birth control and could have used it - but didn't. I never got pregnant but could have.

Wishing the best for Bristol and her new baby!
Hmmm, wonder exactly how much personal choice Bristol had about keeping this baby?  I think Mommy dearest may have done some arm twisting on this one.
Now where are the red-faced, lying democrat bloggers who assured everyone that Gov. Palin's youngest child was that of her daughter?  Hmmm, they must be back under the rocks and rotting leaves. Imbeciles!
How sad that Palin's family has to be dragged into this just because McCain din't think with whatever brain he has and do his homework.
Wasn't it the republican party that was pushing abstinence?  Just goes to show you that that policy does not work.  Isn't Palin against teaching sex education in schools?  
I'm a liberal. I'm voting for Obama. Palin, nor her daughter, should receive criticism for this.  It's a private matter.  Be kind.  At the same time, vote for Obama/Biden because they are the better choice.
Let those who are without sin cast the first stone! Not many will throw it!
yup,just because her daughter is pregnant she is telling every 17yr old to go have sex and get pregnant,what morons you all are
You liberals and your double standards. It's OK for Clinton to cheat on his wife because it supposedly has no bearing on his ability to lead the nation.  But a woman steps up to be VP and her daughter (not herself, mind you) is pregnant at 17.  I guess because her daughter is pregnant she can't lead the country?  You're all a bunch of hypocrites.
This announcement still doesn't squelch the earlier rumors.
Thank you RNC.

Barack Obama
supporter
Hi Steve, from Chicago, when was the minute,hour or day YOU became perfect....a very sad comment till you look in the minor.

HG Phx.
Its not what you say its what you do...knocked up teen age gals does not exude family values...sorry righties
What is more distressing in all of this is that she is going to marry the father.  Would this be happening if not for the kleiglights of the vice presidential campaign?

Newborn special needs baby, pregnant 17 year old about to marry--all of this spells a demanding household.  And Palin is going to burn the midnight oil catching up on NAFTA, Putin, Ahmadenijad and Osama Bin Laden.  

The absurdity of this is breathtaking.
This is a political bombshell!  Palin needs to bow out and let the Republican party make another choice.  This is just embarrasing.
Unfortunately Mccain is falling by this trap of conversative politics. These guys are sinners as anyone but just pretend to have values. Sorry Mccain, it all over. Sarah, go and reform your house, before you come to America.
How does this knock down the rumor that the Down's Syndrome child is not Bristol's also?? This report says Bristol is ABOUT five months pregnant. She could easily be three to four months pregnant AND have given birth in April to the DS baby. To me this makes it MORE likely that Bristol is the mother of the baby born in April, and that Sarah Palin DID fake her pregnancy.
Yeah, it's ok to talk about personal responsibility to unmarried single moms when they're minorities but God forbid you lecture these white trailer thrash about their personal responsibilities!!!

So would the five Palin children and the new baby be living in the Whitehouse? This is the message we want to send to America?
Palin's judgment to take an 8hr plane ride from Dallas to Alaska after breaking her water, especially carrying a high risk pregnancy is the highest level of irresponsibility from a mother. Its reckless, just like her boss
Shame on anyone who finds joy in the pain of another.
I thought Bristol Palin had mono 5 months ago and was being kept out of school?  ???
And Sarah Palin stands a heartbeat away from being President?  OMG!!!    
sounds like Mom Palin is going to be even busier with home matters these next few years.... Perhaps she should reconsider her latest decision[s]
Get over it, people.  Conservatives have sex too, and teens make mistakes.  It's not like your liberal heros, the Clintons, are shining examples of family values.  Just ask Monica!  It's unfortunate, and it's a family issue, not a political issue.
I hope everyone leaves her alone. It's none of our business, it's a family matter. Please don't judge her. Leave that to the hypocrites. I wish her well. She is so young. I hope she has a supportive family and that this little baby gets tons and tons of love. It's going to be very tough for these young parents.
A flimsy resume, an investigation into abuse of power only 20 months into her term as governor, a pregnant teenage daughter....

Wow.

Why didn't McCain choose Lindsay Lohan's mother instead?  At least people know who she is!
Hey folks:

You wonder why the media is so pro McCain and anti Obama, They are now owned and operated by corporations.  And they want a republican.

This is not a joke but truth.  The independence is gone and that is sad for America.  


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