My heart goes out to Bristol Palin. Her pregnancy has become a high-profile news story in all corners of our country and a likely point of conversation in most every barber and beauty shop across the land.
My concern for this 17-year-old and her privacy is deep and genuine. As the father of three daughters, I can relate to what she and her family are experiencing. Yet, I strongly believe the American public deserves to know about this piece of this teenager's life. Bristol's mom –- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin –- could become the Vice President of the United States.
Gov. Palin should have known when she accepted Sen. John McCain's offer to be his running mate that her daughter's pregnancy would become public, and there would be considerable attention focused on the Palin family. Sarah Palin has strong beliefs on issues of abstinence and abortion, and those positions will be and should be part of the national debate as we choose our country's next leaders.
It's appropriate for journalists to examine a politician's beliefs at the intersection of one's personal and professional lives. That's true not just of Sarah Palin, of course, but also for McCain, and Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Citizens deserve to know what principles and values guide the women and men who aspire to the highest offices in our nation. Citizens deserve to know how the candidates make choices in their personal lives when those decisions have a direct connection to their role as elected officials. Citizens deserve to know how our government leaders address complex, contentious issues in their personal lives, because those same government leaders will advocate public policy positions, influence legislation and, in the case of the President, choose Supreme Court Justices and other Federal Judges who will interpret the laws of the land.
We need to know as much as possible about our candidates for President. We need insight into what's in their heads and their hearts. We need to know how they handle the tough calls in their lives.
At the same time, let all of us show respect in how we react to Bristol Palin's pregnancy. Whether we are journalists writing stories or commenting on television, or common folks involved in those beauty and barber shop conversations, let's remember who is at the heart of this story. Bristol Palin is Sarah Palin's daughter. But she is also, in some ways, our daughter, too.
I agree with everything that Bob wrote, but he also...
