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Sarah Palin reveals teenage daughter is pregnant

Choosing Sarah Palin as running mate was possibly John McCain’s biggest political gamble yet. The Alaska state governor did not go through the intense vetting process that vice-presidential nominees are usually subjected to. McCain will have to contend with whatever skeletons come out of her closet.

Her 17-year old daughter’s pregnancy, revealed on Monday, is the first test for the McCain-Palin ticket. Early signs are that it will not hurt the Republicans. After all, Palin has announced that her daughter will be marrying the baby’s father, thereby reaffirming her anti-abortion credentials and sending a positive message to the party’s socially conservative base.

But as media scrutiny intensifies, Palin could become more of a liability. If her past turns up more than fishing permit violations or her husband’s drink-driving charge decades ago, John McCain might be hard-pressed to justify his choice of VP.

How Sarah Palin reacts to these issues will speak volumes about his political judgment. If his running mate still comes across as a corruption-fighting, hard-working governor in a few weeks’ time, McCain will have been proven an astute gambler and a perceptive man, despite his 72 years. If she bombs, so will McCain.