“No comment, it’s a private family matter” would have been a heck of a lot better. And parading him across the stage at the convention was inexcusable (and there are more people than just Sarah who should be taking the rap for that — McCain shouldn’t have allowed it, even if Sarah wanted it).
And had he not appeared, the anti-Palin brigade would be outraged that he was being "secreted away" to avoid embarrassment. A no-win situation to be sure.
At the time embracing him was better than hiding he and the daughter away. That would have only brought on MORE speculation.
Hindsight is 20/20 you know and I guess Sarah should have gazed into a crystal ball and known that the father of her grandchild was going to do Vanity Fair hit pieces on the family, not marry her daughter, but alas she didn’t./s
And I’m sure Bristol thought she was in love with him at the time. Maybe Sarah should have embarrassed her daughter even more by publicly ignoring the whole thing. Not that the media would let her do that.
Yes, he was a scumbag all along. But teenagers will do want they want to do. Unless you lock them up. So, Sarah should have known, McCain should have known...I prefer to place the blame squarely on the little ratbag.