Frankly, I'm disgusted with modern politics...

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the left started out the weekend by spreading the rumor that Sarah Palin was "covering up" for her daughter, launching the speculation that Mrs. Palin was actually pretending to be the mother of her daughter's child. In fact, it turns out, that the 17 year old daughter is pregnant and unwed.

I cannot count the number of people that I know that have faced similar family problems. Fortunately, they didn't have their private family matters splashed all over TV, newspapers, and the Internet. Since when does this particular private family matter have any bearing on the public debate? I might be able to buy it if there was some discrepancy between the Palin's words and deeds. But to me, actions speak louder than words and the young woman is "doing the right thing" and taking responsibility for the child. Apparently, the father, is doing the same. Case closed.

But this heinousness of this diatribe from the left, the hatefulness, and the disregard for even the minimal civility due another human being leads me to wonder if there isn't a bigger systemic problem with the way our political and public figures are treated.

I know, somebody is saying "Hey, these folks signed up for this." It's the same argument that the "Hollywood" types make regarding the paparazzi. But since when did being someone who is "in the public eye" mean that you no longer get to have any privacy at all? Does offering to do public service come with the requirement that you can't have personal problems, family crisis, or errors in judgment? If so, then we really are in a bunch of trouble. All of us falls short, some more than others, and none of us are perfect.

I am aching to have a real debate on the important issues that are facing the country. To me, matters of war and the global threat from nuclear proliferation; poverty, energy, and the economy; trump whether or not the children of our political figures are having personal problems. Moreover, unless there is some suggestion that the Palin's are mis-using their official resources, I cannot find a circumstance that requires the media to make this information public, and certainly not in the spiteful, hateful, and unnecessary ways that the leftist blogosphere and some media outlets (New York Times, in particular) have in an effort to discredit Sarah Palin.

In my view, we need to get to a place where we can actually make judgements about competency based on experience and stated positions on issues of import and not on some nebulous politics of personal destruction that have infected our public discourse. When did it become necessary to not just defeat your opponent, but to personally and professionally destroy them? How long can we sustain self-government in an environment where every foible, every decision, and every personal problem, becomes fodder for the blogosphere?