a male candidate with a newborn - let alone a special needs newborn - running for national office? I think the problem that I have in deciding what I think of the whole Trig phenomenon is that I just have no basis for comparison. Seeing Piper dragged onto the ice in Philly doesn't really get under my skin because kids in her age range have LONG been political props for make and female candidates alike (witness Obama's daughters, the beatific Edwards kids, all the way back to the Kennedys and beyond, etc). But I can't recall EVER seeing a baby Trig's age get dragged around the country and appearing at events at all hours of the day and night, at least not in my lifetime. And that sort of makes me uncomfortable. And then if you add in the "special needs" aspect of it and the way that the Palins and the M/P campaign have really used Trig as a WEAPON in the culture war as opposed to merely a prop for photo opps, well, then I really start to get freaked out. It all feels really inappropriate to me, and I'd like to think it's not just because of her politics or her gender. I think I'd be freaked out if Obama had a 6-month-old with Downs syndrome, too.

I don't like Palin and I don't like her dragging her kids around as props (especially the school-age ones!!), and HAH! I bet there is a campaign staffer to run every other errand than picking up diapers. BUT. . . I don't see any problem with keeping a baby on a late schedule. As any working parent knows, you really would like to see the baby awake some part of the day, and I know tons of families, well, pretty much every family I know, that let their infants have late evenings. It's not like they have to be up at a certain time ready to do schoolwork. As long as there is consistency, they can live on any old schedule.

But I will defend her on this one. If Trig were not present, we'd all be saying, "Where's the baby? What kind of mother leaves her baby in a hotel room with a nanny?"

Sarah Palin's politics are detestable to me. Her personal life doesn't make me warm up to her much either. But as a mother who has a wildly packed schedule myself, I have to say that my children have always been better off to be with me on my terms than to be left alone or with a sitter in the guise of keeping them on a schedule.

how is this current? was there something from the past day or two that triggered this post (no pun intended)?

strange, and a waste of time. except I LOVE that Talking Heads tune--perfect use for it

I'm admittedly a Palin Hater but I think the kid is doing fine. I'm actually kind of surprised he hasn't let out a howl at an inopportune moment. I think it's great the whole family is involved with him; it takes a village and all that.

If Bristol was this involved in caring for her siblings, and her family will be this involved with her baby/ the new family member, being pregnant at 17 doesn't seem like such a tragedy.

I think this critique is slightly off-base. Of all Palin's kids, it makes the most sense for Trig to be with her, if she indeed is still nursing (and bravo to her for doing so -- the only thing I admire about her). However, why are her school-aged kids being toted around during the week, when they should be in school? (Or home playing with their friends or doing whatever kids do to lead some semblance of a normal life despite having a celebrity parent?) I don't think we've seen the Obama girls since the convention and I understand they're generally at home, with their grandmother caring for them. This seems like the better parenting choice: letting your kids continue their lives and not using them as political props (even though the Obama girls are surely as appealing as the Palin kids). It also reveals the Obamas' value on education.

Honestly, I don't think that is our business unless Palin dangles the baby out of a window or something...

The Ice incident, that was seriously not OK. She was warned they were going to boo but she dragged her little girl and pregnant teen out anyway. That is when I realized it's not an act, Palin is an opportunistic ignoramous.

Trig is fine. He's six months old. They don't care about a schedule, and if they could choose, they'd rather be up and out with their moms, than anything else in the world.

Exploited for photo ops? Probably. But again, 6 month old babies don't care. It isn't hurting him.

As long as there is consistency, they can live on any old schedule.

Well that's the point, a baby needs consistency in his schedules. Being hauled out at 10:30 for the debate doesn't seem consistent unless Palin's having a debate every night.

While I agree Palin uses all her kids as a prop, taking an older kid to a rally or a Flyers game is not out of bounds. But subjecting an infant to the camera lights or the noise of a rally crowd seems really unnecessary and unseemly. Couldn't she just be seen carrying him to the car or something, does she have to hold him up and wave him to the crowd like a anti-abortion flag?

While I think she pimps the kids and thus, yes, they are being exploited, I am less concerned about the schedule than I am about the noise of the rallies and how that might affect both an infant's auditory development and a special needs child's language development due to significant white noise. Maybe they're using ear plugs.

First of all, he's asleep in most of those clips, second of all, babies like to be held while they sleep ... some wake up as soon as you put them in their bed. Thirdly, her schedule for her baby's naps is none of our business. Fourth, babies don't necessarily sleep through the night.

Finally, if there's one thing I commend Palin for, it's being a working mom and taking her baby with her on the road to do her job instead of hiring a nanny or hiding in her home until the baby's "old enough." I think she presents a good model for women that you don't have to be down for the count because you had a baby, you can get out there and do your job with the baby in tow.