Palin lashes out at treatment of family

Gov. Palin and daughter

 Whether it is an effort to keep her name in the news or actually being offended by the way the press and bloggers have treated her family, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin complained bitterly yesterday that she wants them left alone.

Most of the attention has been focused on her 18-year-old daughter Bristol, an unwed mother, who recently gave birth to a son.  Bristol and the child's father, Levi Johnson, intend to be married some time in the future.

There is speculation that since Palin has been out of the limelight since the presidential election when her quest for  vice-president was dashed when Barack Obama and Joe Biden won the race for the White House, her compaints will put her name back in the news.

The pundits say she can't have it both ways: displaying her children as a proof of her family values and then later becoming offended when the spotlight is turned on them.  Her motivations are being questioned because she has said that she is considering running for president in 2012.   There is speculation that she might try for seat in the House or Senate in 2010. If she does either, she needs to keep her name alive among the base that supported her during the presidential election. However, Palin says she is speaking out to get the record straight, not because of some future political aspirations. Yet her recent interview with conservative film maker John Ziegler seems to belie that statement.

The timing of Palin's decision to strike out at the news media around the same time in which Barack Obama was installed as President leaves some wondering if this is her way of bring attention back to herself.