If this type of information is being posted on War Room, then I think the concept of War Room has really changed. As I saw it, War Room used to be about relevance - every piece seemed to set the terms of the debate in some way.

I don't know what the concept is now, but I think I preferred the old concept.

Just taken on its own merit--without this kid's assocation with the political family--the kid looks like a total tool. I know lots of 17-year-olds and most of them are bright, thoughtful, and...well, better than that. Gross. I wouldn't want to know him.

To echo some of you, I'm not sure where all this sanctimony (we shouldn't talk about the family!) is coming from: if there was a unwed teenage pregnancy anywhere in the Obama/Biden families, the right would be crowing about it without cease. Obama was right in distancing himself, his campaign shouldn't say anything...but why are we above it? Too bad we liberals feel guilt even about some nice juicy gossip.

"Ya f--- with me I'll kick [your] ass"

I wonder if this includes would-be in-laws who try to force him down the aisle.

Should be an interesting wedding.

I would lile to fuck that little potty mouthed bastard's girlfriend's mom. I hate her, but she is such a MILF.

anyone care to bet that Bristol's wedding to Levi will be scheduled for AFTER the election?

Bristol will not be marrying this hormone-addled loser, that much you can take to the bank, unless Palin is even more cruel than circumstances to date suggest.

And her kid? well. Bristol's "choice" to keep the baby may change after the election. It'll be over before she has her child. although, I'm guessing Palin would keep the kid and raise it in her family rather than adopt it out..that said, knowing good, old Levi is the father might be just a tad annoying.

This is so great, I can't believe it. America LOVES soap operas. This is all anyone will be talking about. GOP, party of cheap melodrama. Democrats, party of gravitas and leadership. That's how it's looking right now.

He's a hick. He's already delivered on all you can expect from him.

don't you get it man? This is ABSOLUTELY relevant. This could kill McCain's candidacy in a week. This is the kind of thing that destroys a candidate. It may or may not in this case, but it's absolutely central to the War Room concept.

It's not even politically damaging anymore. Shit, citizens of The United States of Walmart are going to look at this whole sorry clusterfuck as proof that the Republican Party is the party of "Real Folks". Nothing like a shotgun wedding to bring people together.

Meanwhile, anyone who points out that this kind of fucked-up situation is the natural undesirable byproduct of an abstinence-only anti-birth control agenda will immediately be painted as an Elitist Liberal who doesn't believe "Real Folks" should be allowed in the halls of power.

This is the tack the Repubs are going to take. Thwarting it requires Logic, Reason and more than 15 seconds to lay out everything that is wrong with these people.

Is it possible Johnston found out he was engaged just this past week? Perhaps McCain's advisors informed him of the happy news.

Mr. Schaller,

YES, Exactly, PLEASE keep beating this drum - it is about McCain's total lack of good judgement. Not only TRUE, but, CRITICAL to point of having someone like that as Commander and Cheif. It is NOT the fault of the Palin's that their personal life is on display - it doesn't even really have anything to do with it - BUT - it shows the breathtaking incompetence of McCain AND his campaign team - AND - the Republicans who are STILL embracing this horrible choice. PLEASE - everyone, get off the "teen pregnancy" angle of this story, and start talking about the REAL story. JOHN McCAIN TOTAL LACK OF JUDGEMENT !!!! THANK YOU MR. SCHALLER !!!

If these religious fundamentalists would stop badgering everyone else to practice abstinence, and did so themselves. This guy reminds of the dopey husband who winds up getting Lolita knocked up, and then tells Humbert Humbert that Alaska is a great place to raise children, because there's so much room for them to run around in!

I haven't heard the part where Levi says HE wants to get married and change diapers and forget about college and get a job herding moose or whatever it is they do up there besides drink and snowboard and polay hockey.

The NYT has it right. The story here is McCain's error in judgement, his rush to announce a choice that hadn't been vetted, etc. The baby daddy is NOT the story or at least it shouldn't be the story for War Room. Leave that to the tabloids and get serious. Enough.

It's relevant because the mother and possible VP of the United States wants her daughter to marry this thug...for appearance's sake. If you'll foresake your daughter, you have no values.

Some of the facts of Mrs. Palin's daughter's impending pregnancy are important to the current national debate; some are not. All are fairly personal, and as such, we unwashed masses should confine ourselves to those bits that further the national discussion meaningfully. We won't, of course, but the quality of our national discourse is already reprehensible; encouraging muckraking for its own sake doesn't help matters.

We should be discussing why the McCain campaign was not just heedless of nominating Palin in light of this information, but, in fact, seemed utterly unaware of it. That they were speaks volumes about McCain's style of "leadership" -- non-deliberative, secretive -- and its potential consequences.

Christian conservatives, of course, may wish to go on about the question of Mrs. Palin's moral turpitude or Vice Presidential suitability because of this, but I don't believe the inability of Mrs. Palin to keep her daugher from having sex should disqualify her from high political office. Do you? There are plenty of reasons why I don't want Mrs. Palin to be Vice President, but really, this isn't one of them.

As progressive types, we believe that teenage parents and their families deserve compassion. Mocking a kid's Myspace page and gawking at every tangential aspect of their situation does not constitute compassion. I hope people keep this in mind as long as this issue remains in the public eye.