Palin, Pregnancy and Politics

Sarah Palin gives her speech tonight in accepting the nomination as the Republican vice president candidate, and the media is still pounding her on a number of fronts.

First Argument: She can't be a vice president be cause she is a mother of five.

Above, on CBS' Early Show today, Sally Quinn of The Washington Post is asked by co-host Maggie Rodriguez, "The question, can a mother of five, including an infant with Down's syndrome, be an effective vice president?" Quinn's answer is "it's interesting that here I am, supposedly part of you know, the -- what one would call the liberal elite media. That's what we've been all -- the critics of Sarah Palin have been called. And yet, taking the position that a woman with five children, including one with special needs, and a daughter who is a 17-year-old child who is pregnant and about to have a baby, probably has got to rethink her priorities. It seems to me that there is a tipping point, and I think that she's crossed the tipping point. I believe that it's going to be very difficult for her ... I think this is -- this is too much."

So yes, it is a liberal's argument that there is a tipping point (maybe a glass ceiling?) as to how high a woman can go in the business world. According to Quinn, a women with five children cannot succeed in high levels of government. But in my book, anyone who has raised five kids is most certainly capable of serving as vice president. There is no underestimating the amount of work it takes to handle the responsibilities of such a family, and at the same time achieve the position of governor.

Second Argument: She's not ready to be Vice President.

Well, actually, who is? What exactly is needed to be President of the Senate, besides swinging a gavel and breaking ties?

Now, the role of the vice president has changed the past eight years. Dick Cheney has wielded more power and influence than most vice presidents ever. But that doesn't mean that role will continue. The vice president's role is chiefly designed by the president. The president can have a potted plant if he wishes, or he can assign tasks to the vice president, or as in the case of George Bush, rely on an active vice president in the day-to-day affairs of the country. Either way, it will be up to Barack Obama or John McCain to define the roles of either Joe Biden or Sarah Palin. Obama and McCain will most likely use their vice president in roles that play to their strengths.

Argument Three: Sarah Palin's resume is not up to snuff on the national stage.

Once again, so what? Look at some other presidents. Harry Truman was a congressman before becoming vice president. Ronald Reagan was a governor and an actor. Gerald Ford was a congressman as well. Calvin Coolidge was a one-year governor. Grover Cleveland was mayor of Buffalo, then briefly governor of New York. Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas. Abraham Lincoln served only one term in Congress. The list goes on.

Argument Four: Sarah Palin's a hypocrite because she stands for family values and her unwed teen daughter is pregnant.

This is so below the belt that it astounds me that anyone with any sense of decency can put forth this nonsense. Palin has demonstrated that she is living her faith through actions by carrying her Down's syndrome child to birth and opting for life. She's doing the same for her daughter, providing her with the love and support she will need to get through this. If anything, it has provided more support for Palin from evangelicals and social conservatives.

In the end. it's not a matter of words on a resume, it's a matter of leadership skills. That's what we need from our elected officials in Washington. Tonight is the first big test for Sarah Palin. If she can prove on a big stage that she can lead a party into action, she'll go a long way in fighting the barrage of insulting counterattacks from the left in the coming months.