Revelations on Palin stir worries over vetting

John McCain insisted yesterday that his selection of Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska and mother of five, as his running mate last Friday was taken after solid background checks.

He said: "The vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results."

But others in Mr McCain's party, which last night resumed its convention schedule in Minneapolis after hurricane Gustav blew itself out, expressed anxiety about the "drip, drip" of revelations on Ms Palin following her decision on Monday to reveal that her 17-year-old daughter was pregnant.

Most Republicans expres-sed strong support for Ms Palin and some said it would elicit sympathy from voters. But there was also scepticism of Mr McCain's insistence that she had been properly vetted. "Saying it don't make it so," said one senior Republican, who asked for his name to be withheld.

On Monday Ms Palin also announced that she had appointed a personal attorney to represent her in the "troopergate" inquiry, which followed allegations she used her position as governor to try to sack her former brother-in-law, who is a policeman. The McCain campaign is reportedly tussling with the Alaskan legislature to ensure the inquiry's report is not published before polling day in November.

It was also revealed that Todd Palin, her husband, had been convicted of drink-driving more than two decades ago. It was reported Ms Palin was also briefly a member of the Alaska Independence party, which sports the slogan "Alaska First", an ironic juxtaposition to Mr McCain's Country First". But her agent denied that Ms Palin had been a member of the party.

Yesterday the New York Times quoted a senior Rep-ub-lican as saying the McCain campaign had sent its vetting team to Alaska only last Thursday, the same day that Mr McCain offered Ms Palin the job.

The newspaper reported that Mr McCain had only one 15-minute meeting with Ms Palin before meeting her for the second time last Wednesday. "It seems pretty clear that there was not a thorough vetting process and that Senator McCain took this decision impulsively," said David Frum, a former speechwriter to George W. Bush and a conservative activist. "After eight years of politics based on gut instinct, it is not clear whether the electorate is going to buy the offer of four more."

Most Republicans say they expect Ms Palin to deliver a rousing speech tonight that will squash doubts about her candidacy. But with some polls showing Barack Obama regaining a six to eight-point lead over Mr McCain following the Democratic party's convention in Denver last week, there is also nervousness about the effects that a flat speech would have on the McCain campaign.

Yesterday InTrade, the online betting site that was a better predictor of the outcome in 2004 than the pollsters, opened a book on Ms Palin's chances of surviving as Mr McCain's running mate. It touched on 18 per cent, before dropping back to 11 per cent. Others whispered the name of Thomas Eagleton, who in 1972 dropped off George McGovern's Democratic ticket following revelations that he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment.

The Palin family's statement about their daughter Bristol's pregnancy also served as a reminder of the speed and unpredictability of the 2008 presidential race.

Levi Johnston, Bristol's boyfriend, has amended his MySpace homepage to remove the phrase "but doesn't want kids" after "he's in a relationship".

But many Republicans contend the episode will enhance Ms Palin's appeal to middle-class -families.

"She will give a fantastic speech, apologise for nothing and people will love her," said Juleanna Glover, an adviser to Mr McCain.
By Edward Luce in Minneapolis
Published: September 3 2008 03:00 | Last updated: September 3 2008 03:00
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
**************************************************************************************************
Do you think that John McCain knew about Palin's daughter's pregnancy before he named her as his running mate?

Do you think 17-year-old Bristol should get married because she's pregnant?

How important is this pregnancy going to be in the election this November?

How important a factor do you think this pregnancy SHOULD be in the election this November?

What kinds of background do you think are researched during the "vetting" process?
**************************************************************************************************