"Hallelujah, We Shall Rise."

The Republicans have managed to shoot themselves in the foot once again. Fortunately, I guess, for them, they never seem to limp afterward. I guess it is because so many of the faithful are such hypocrites. They rant, rave, and rail about morality, then throw it all to the wind when one of their own fails to live up.

Gov. Palin's current revelation is a case in point. Apparently, the McCain campaign never "vetted" the good Governor. According to leading Alaskans, Democrat, Republican, or otherwise, no one discussed the Governor with any of them. This all grew out of a necessity. Sources in the know point out that McCain wanted either Liberman or Ridge, both pro-choice proponents. This wouldn't do with the Republican faithful, so a "pro-family, anti-sex education/pro-abstinence only" candidate was chosen. Even as I write this, the McCain campaign is in Alaska, "vetting" their candidate.

Suddenly, out of the blue, the Governor announced that her 17 year old unmarried daughter is pregnant. Palin is so proud of her daughter for "deciding to have the baby" and to marry the father. I guess so. If the child's mother is so anti-abortion that she would force her daughter to have the child of a rapist, I doubt that there would be any choice in the matter. As for the father, I wonder how long the shotgun was held to his head before he said yes.

Now the "pro-family" (defined as mothers should be seen, not heard, and always at home with their children, not out doing non-mother-like things such as being VP.) Republican faithful, including the fundamentalist pastors, who usually rail against unwed mothers and mothers working outside the home, are surrounding the Gov. with "love." Of course it is perfectly normal for this to happen to one of their own, and they are completely OK with it.

Apparently, the Gov. also has a few other skeletons in her closet of which the faithful weren't aware, blinded as they were by her extremist, anti-abortion views. She has a case pending over the possible unlawful dismissal of an Alaskan state trooper. Then there is the case of the "other" baby. It seems that no one, even some close to her at work, knew that she was pregnant a few months back. This after her having four children. Suddenly, she announced that she had a baby. The baby may well we hers, but now, given, the latest bombshell, one has to wonder. Finally, there is her husband who has been registered as a member of the American Independence Party, an extremist group which, among other things, advocates the return of all Alaskan federal land back to the state.

Will all of these questions affect Palin's nomination? Of course not. The old double standard will apply. It is OK if it happens to you, but not if it happens to someone else. Then there is the case of the "American Way." Presently, unmarried mothers are more the norm than not. So many Americans have accepted this phenomenon as a way of life, that they would vote for the Gov., simply because she is now one of them. Certainly her extremist views are so acceptable to the fundamentalist faithful, that they will easily overlook any "minor" shortcomings. In short, they have their candidate now. God is in his heaven, and all is right with the world. To quote a popular gospel song, "Hallelujah, we shall rise."