I wonder if Gov. Palin and her family aren't pushing their luck just a bit?
Specifically, while I don't doubt young Levi Johnston's love for Bristol Palin, she is still only 17 years old. By making them both prominently part of the family's public appearances, to include the convention stage last night, both the Governor herself and Senator McCain have done all that could reasonably be expected to show acceptance of the fait accompli presented to all by Levi and Bristol. Being that Todd Palin hasn't already shown him the first half of last season's race course yet, it appears the family truly has accepted events and have determined to pursue the positive potential inherent to Bristol's pregnancy.
Being a dad myself, I'm not certain how well I'd have done presented with similar circumstance.
That all said, is anyone giving odds as to how long we will have to wait 'till some Democrat operative seeks to have young Levi prosecuted for statutory rape? Come to that, and given the opinion most of the old line Alaskan Republicans have for Gov. Palin, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them try the same stunt.
Politics is a nasty business at the best of times. The present political climate in the US makes such a slimy tactic seem almost inevitable somehow instead of beyond the pale. It may wind up being both.
Gov. Palin strikes me as politically savvy, certainly Sen. McCain is. It seems incomprehensible that they both wouldn't have sought legal advice on this very possibility long since. Even so, the Democrat purpose is just as well served by a very public accusation and arrest of young Mr. Johnston as it is by a successful prosecution. Ultimate vindication will be politically irrelevant so long as it occurs no sooner than November 6th.
I hope my suspicions prove overly pessimistic about this. I keep returning to Saul Alinsky's lesson on means and ends though.
The age of consent in Alaska is 16.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you assume that this needs to take place in Alaska? As a political action, the criminal complaint can be pursued from virtually anywhere within the US. By transporting the two across state lines, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin can both be accused of violating the Mann Act, as well.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose isn't to achieve a successful prosecution, it's to put the Republican candidates on the defensive and alter the political dialog from the experience comparison to a moral/ethical debate.
How unlikely does it seem that a Pres. Obama might re-pay such an effort with an appointment to the federal bench for the perpetrator a year or so later?
As I said, I hope the Democrats don't do this, but it would be consistent with the known political and ideological history of Barrack Obama.