I was thrilled with John McCain’s iconoclastic selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate.  She instantly provided enthusiasm and curiosity about the ticket that I thought might never materialize.  Still,  the news about her daughter over the weekend does make it hard to suppress this thought:  does Governor Palin have too much on her plate to be a high-functioning Vice President? I agree with all the pundits who say that the situation with her daughter will win her more sympathy from precisely those voters McCain needs most.  Fine. But the combination of an-ongoing political investigation into her firing of an Alaskan public safety commissioner (she’s just hired a defense lawyer), her five children, her infant son with special needs, and now her teenage daughter’s impending marriage and child does make me wonder whether there is too much going on in her life to permit her to be a fully-focused running mate and VP.

At first, the media was reluctant to admit this because to say such thing violates the Holy Grail of modern feminism:  “You can have it all.”  But the Washington Post’s Lois Romano appears to have broken that taboo. Personally, I would feel the same way if Todd Palin were the Alaska governor juggling the same political and family circumstances. 

It is the nature of professional politicians to put their careers before their families, despite carefully orchestrated photos suggesting the contrary.  At this point, I can only hope that Sarah Palin has the circle of  family, friends and support that allow her to be a full-time running mate and surrogate for McCain.  I worry though that one slip, one gaffe, one more surprise will make us all wonder if she really has the time for all this responsibility.