Please note that the political celebrity gossip story below is based on circumstantial, albeit fairly compelling, evidence. There is no proof, although that's how it was with Rielle Hunter, and we all know how that turned out.
Just saying. The Daily Kos, a leftist political blog, is reporting that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for Vice President, is not the mother of her fifth child, four-month-old Trig Palin. Rather, her 16-year-old daughter Bristol is.
The "evidence" for this - you can read the full, and far more comprehensive account here - includes the following:
- On March 6, the governor announced she was seven months pregnant, to the surprise of everyone.
- Sarah Palin's water broke a month before Trig was due, but she kept a speaking date in Texas, then flew eight hours, direct, home to Alaska.
- Upon going into labor, instead of heading to an Anchorage medical facility that could best accommodate a premature birth, she drove 45 minutes to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, outside Wasilla, where she was mayor.
- On April 18, 2008, Trig Palin, who has Down's Syndrome, was born a month premature. Sarah Palin returned to work after just three days.
- Bristol Palin was taken out of Anchorage High School due to "mononucleosis." She was absent from school for 5-8 months (accounts vary).
Some believe 16-year-old Bristol Palin (right), not Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was the one pregnant, and starting to show, in this family photo from early 2008.
It's an interesting conspiracy theory, but the thing we don't get is why a major public figure would risk the humiliation of being exposed as a liar when the thing she's trying to cover up isn't that unusual or scandalous.
At least with John Edwards, he knew his career was over the second his affair with Rielle Hunter was exposed, so he might as well roll the dice and lie about it.
But with approval ratings above 80 percent, would Bristol becoming pregnant at 16 really damage Sarah Palin's image that much? Look at Jamie Lynn Spears!
Would it jeopardize Sarah's chances to become Vice President? Maybe. But wouldn't fallout be 10 times worse after having lied repeatedly? The desire to protect her daughter from scrutiny couldn't be worth it, could it?
Either way, the mother of Trig stuck to her guns and did not have an abortion, which regardless of how you feel about that issue, proves Sarah Palin is true to her stated conservative beliefs. We're curious to hear what you think.
UPDATE: Follow the jump for a photo of what appears to be a pregnant Sarah Palin earlier this year. Does this put these rumors to rest?
