Palins Announce 17-year-old Bristol's Pregnancy

The Obama online shock troops had already become indistinguishable from Rush Limbaugh’s followers. There they were – a few hours after she stepped on the national stage –blanketing the Internet with hate-mongering rumors accusing Gov. Sarah Palin of lying about giving birth to her fifth child last April and suggesting that her son Trig was actually her 17-year-old daughter’s child. Even Andrew Sullivan joined the stampede to ruthlessly destroy Palin’s credibility before her candidacy could get off the ground.

Today, in an attempt to squelch the above rumors, Gov. Palin announced that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. As reported by ABC’s Jake Tapper, the statement from Gov. Palin and her husband Todd reads:

“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us.”

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," they continued, referring to their 17-year-old daughter. "As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support."

The Palins said that "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi's privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates."

Tapper added,

“The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who announced Palin as his running mate just three days ago, said the Palins would have no further comment.”

As to be expected, hundreds, if not thousands, of Obama supporters are piling on in readers’ comments responding to news of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy at leading left-wing Web sites. Needless to say, the barbed remarks from the lefties continue to be indistinguishable from those you might expect from the extreme right if the situation were reversed.