Palin's 17-Year Old Daughter Pregnant - Now.

All weekend the lefty blogs were running with rumors that Sarah Palin's youngest child was actually the child of her oldest daughter. That rumor has been pretty effectively quashed, but now here's a piece of news that may knock some of the shine off the campaign:

Reuters: "The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said. 'We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,' the Palins' statement said. 'Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support,' the Palins said."

The lefties will have fun with this, especially regarding the "family values" arguments. Didn't this come out in the vetting process?

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

UPDATE: Per Carly Fiorina on Fox, McCain knew about it and didn't think it would be a problem. We'll see.

UPDATE2: I guess today's the day to dump bad news - Palin's husband Todd was arrested for drunk driving in 1986 when he was 22. It means nothing to this election, but will get wide coverage anyway.

UPDATE 3: Since some of the readers are commenting on Barack Obama's comments on birth control, let me repeat them here:

“Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby. I don’t want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn’t make sense to not give them information.”

Apparently the Palin's don't consider a baby "punishment".

UPDATE 4: Laura reminds us of an important bio item on Obama:

Considering that Obama's mother was an unwed teenager when he was conceived, the libs had better tread carefully...

UPDATE 5: Looks like Obama is listening to Laura:

Democratic nominee Barack Obama Monday said his campaign will not make a political issue of the Palin daughter's pregnancy. He told reporters while campaigning in Michigan that a candidate's family is "off limits and people's children are especially off limits," pointing out that his own mother gave birth to him at 18.

UPDATE 6: Dr. James Dobson weighs in:

"In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.

"Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have.

"The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans."

And don't miss Ed Morrissey's personal story of his family.