McCain Had To Open The Door

I wasn't going to bother with it. I was going to leave it alone because it's tabloid. Even though I ran with the John Edwards story when it was straight out of the Enquirer, I had decided I wouldn't touch this one. But McCain's campaign has jumped on it and made it real news.

The McCain campaign today threatened to sue the National Enquirer unless it retracted a story claiming Sarah Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. The campaign claims it's part of a "liberal media smear" which is absurd considering what the Enquirer did to Edwards.

Whether the story is true or not, McCain, by doing this, has opened the door for mainstream media to report it because the lawsuit threat IS news.

I find it odd, however, that neither the MSM or even the tabloids are chasing the little tidbit that has been sitting out there for days. Based on the date of Sarah and Todd's elopement, August 29, 1988, and the birth of there first child, Track, on April 20, 1989, either Track was born 4 to 6 weeks prematurely (assuming they conceived on the wedding night*), or Ms. Palin was already pregnant when she eloped. It's not a dealbreaker for anyone as far as I'm concerned, but following the announcement of her oldest daughter's unwed pregnancy it certainly qualifies as news.

BTW, The Enquirer is standing by its story.
"The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair plus details of family strife when the Governor's daughter revealed her pregnancy. Following our John Edwards' exclusives, our political reporting has obviously proven to be more detail-oriented than the McCain campaign's vetting process. Despite the McCain camp's attempts to control press coverage they find unfavorable, The Enquirer will continue to pursue news on both sides of the political spectrum."

*a standard gestation with that date of birth would have made the date of conception July 29, 1988, one full month before the elopement.