attacks

Well, the media attack dogs are on the loose. Palin's introduction to the political world in Washington is a harsh one. The liberal pundents will say anything and do anything to get their candidate in the White House.

Here is what Palin has already had to face just in the first few days of being a VP candidate:

1. Rumors were spread on the blogosphere saying that her youngest child actually belongs to her daughter. (internet media)

2. Because she is a mother, her ability to do the job is in question. (Washington Post)

3. She is being criticized for not having enough foreign relations experience. (all media)

4. Her ability to be a good mom has been doubted because her daughter got pregnant as a 17 year old out of wedlock. (Washington Post)

5. Her views of teaching abstinence education have been criticized because her daughter got pregnant. (CNN)

6. She is being criticized for being nominated to the VP position solely because she is a woman. (all media)

7 . Her leadership as governor has been called into question because of her interaction with the boss of her state trooper brother-in-law. (all media)

That is a lot to take in just the first few days on the national political scene. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should being praying for her and her family that they will be able to sustain the onslaught. We should especially be praying for the daughter who is pregnant. Can you imagine being a daughter and having your mom trashed by the media because of a mistake that you made?

So are any of these criticisms legitimate? Let's walk through them.

#1. This one is blatantly false and is just tabloid rumor.

#2. If being a mother excludes women from being in high powered jobs, then the women's movement hasn't made it out of the 50's. Maybe we should ask all of the high powered CEOs who are mothers. I wonder if they would think this is a legitimate argument? I think they would give a resounding "No." This argument is ridiculous.

#3. This criticism is also an empty one. We elect governors to the presidency all the time with no foreign relations experience. Maybe you have heard of two of them: Reagan and Clinton. Plus, Obama also has little foreign relations experience and he is at the top of the Democratic ticket. One thing Palin has as governor that Obama doesn't have is executive experience commanding the National Guard. And Palin is just the VP candidate. McCain has tons of foreign relations experience to make up for any she lacks.

#4. If people doubt her as a mother because her daughter got pregnant, then they would have to doubt the parenting of millions of women in America. In fact, these same people would then have to doubt the parenting of Obama's grandmother, whose own daughter got pregnant at 18 with Barack. His grandmother played a big part in raising him as well. This whole line of thinking is just silly. It also misses the point that she has a son who is willing to serve his country by joining the military. I would say that is pretty good parenting.

#5. This idea is ridiculous. Her views of abstinence education don't have anything to do with her daughter. That is like saying a parent who has kids who try drugs should then suddenly be for legalized marijuana. Again, silly.

#6. This sexist attack discounts her record for reform in Alaska. She is a fighter that has a proven track record of working against corruption. If this attack was leveled against a woman running from the left, the whole media would be crying "Sexism!" But the rules seem to be different for a woman who is running from the right.

#7. This might be the only criticism that has any merit. But as the investigation unfolds and we find out that the trooper tasered a kid for no reason, we might think differently. I think that the McCain campaign wouldn't have invited her onto the ticket without investigating this thoroughly.

So out of the many attacks that are coming her way, only one has any merit. And that one is under investigation. When it turns out that she did nothing wrong, she will be in the clear.

The media attacks will hopefully self-correct much like they did with the Reverend Wright scandal for Obama. At first the media will attack repeatedly. Then, they will self-criticize and realize how ridiculous their coverage has been.