Bristol's Got A Bun (Updated)

The Palin camp announced this morning that Gov. Palin's eldest daughter, 17 year old Bristol, is pregnant.

From Hot Air, this is the statement released by Gov. Palin and her husband:

“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.”

Does this hurt Gov. Palin? Perhaps with some - though indeed, it may endear here to others who have had to deal with a similar problem. For my part, and I suspect for most, this just adds a bit of human drama to a story already full of it. This is the type of problem many a parent in this country has had to deal with - and the Palin's are dealing with it appropriately. All kids make mistakes - and what parent does not go through the teen years of their children without their fingers crossed hoping that the mistakes they make will be without long term consequence.

Although I do not think this raises a colorable issue, the left will be well within their rights to ask Gov. Palin how this reflects on her calls for abstinence only sex education. I understand that has been her position at least. But this is one the left go easily overboard with, either by making too much of an issue of it, denigrating Bristol as a whore or trying to paint this as a moral failing of Gov. Palin herself. They do so at very much at their peril.

Updated: Stop the ACLU has responses from both Barack Obama and Dobson. My hats off to both for class responses. And as to Dobson's response, that is what I expected from the evangelical camp:

. . . ”Being a Christian does not mean you’re perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I’ve been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I’m sure the Palins have.

“The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a ‘hypocrite,’ but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans.”