Victory at any cost?

It is entertaining and educational to watch some of the more sleazy Democrats try to deal with the inspired, if unexpected, selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential running mate for Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. This seems to have driven the Democrat party in general, and its more rabid members in particular, to absolute distraction. We are now seeing a major political party try to minimize the experience of a Vice-Presidential candidate of the opposing party who has substantially more experience than their own Presidential candidate. We are watching them attack this candidate's recent pregnancy and childbirth, suggesting that her newborn's Down Syndrome is the result of her disregard for proper prenatal care. Some of these slavering fools have gone so far as to suggest that the Governor's newborn is not even hers but is the newborn child of her 16-year-old daughter. They basie this accusation on a photograph of the Governor's daughter that was taken in 2006 and which purportedly shows a revealing "baby bump."

A quick visit to Wikipedia revealed that Down Syndrome has absolutely nothing to do with the presence, absence or quality of prenatal care. In fact, Wikipedia states that current (2008) medical knowledge indicates Down Syndrome is "due to a random event during the formation of sex cells or pregnancy." It further states that there has been "no evidence that it is due to parental behavior or environmental factors."

When the shameful attempt to smear Governor Palin was revealed as the despicable slime-slinging attack it is, the next pathetic ploy by some of the opposition was to involve the Governor's eldest daughter by suggesting that the newborn was actually the daughter's child. A visible "belly bump" photographed in 2006 resulting from a pregnancy terminating in April of 2008 would have set the medical world atwitter. Such a pregnancy would have had to last at least 17 months, extraordinary for a human or almost any other species on earth. Apparently this mathematical fact was too blatant for even the most desperate "Republiphobes" to ignore. Nevertheless, the foaming-at-the-mouth "truth seekers" now demand that the Governor produce her medical records and the birth certificate of her newest child to quell this "brewing controversy." I have an idea. Perhaps they should ask their own Presidential candidate to release a copy of his birth certificate (something he has consistently refused to do) so we can be sure he is qualified under the Constitution of the United States of America to assume the Office of President.

The Democrats first refused a woman their party's nomination for President, then declined to even consider her for their nomination as Vice-President. When the opposing party nominated a qualified, accomplished woman (with substantially more experience than the Democrat Party's own Presidential candidate) as Vice-President, the Democrats were quick to attack this candidate even though they were reduced to pursuing the unsavory, pathetic tactics mentioned earlier. As sad as this is and as unfair and damaging as it might be to innocent parties dragged through the slime along with the candidates, it might be worth the price in the long run. After all, we are learning the extremes to which some people will go in order to "win". We are seeing the tactics some people are comfortable using. We are learning that, at least for some, honesty, understanding, fairness, respect and decency are weaknesses, not virtues.