By Sky News <CITE class=auth>SkyNews - Tuesday, September 2 10:24 am</CITE>
The teenager said to be the father of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's daughter's baby reportedly describes himself on his MySpace page as a "redneck" who does not want children.
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</NOSCRIPT>Just days after being named as Republican candidate John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin announced that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter Bristol was pregnant.
The announcement is being interpreted by some commentators as an embarrassment to the deeply conservative Alaska governor and the Republican campaign.
However, party aides have stressed that Bristol will keep the baby and marry the father.
The Republican party - holding a scaled back convention in St Paul, Minnesota - decided to make the pregnancy public to refute rumours being spread by liberal bloggers that Mrs Palin had faked a pregnancy to cover up her daughter's real one.
In a written statement, the Palin family 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."
The family stressed that Bristol would be keeping the baby and marrying the father.
The father is said to be high school student Levi Johnston, also a 17-year-old high school student.
On his MySpace profile, before it was made private, he reportedly boasts: ""I'm a ****ing redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.
"But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some **** and just ****ing chillin' I guess.
"Ya **** with me I'll kick ass."Under Status, he puts "in a relationship" and under Children, he writes "I don't want kids." Mrs Palin is staunchly anti-abortion and pro-life groups welcomed the announcement that her daughter would be keeping the baby.
Political commentators expressed some surprise at Mr McCain's choice of Ms Palin as his running mate because of her relative inexperience and low profile, although her youth is seen as being an important tool to offset the threat of Democratic candidate Barack Obama - McCain is 72, Palin 44.
Sky News political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: "This surprise announcement by Mrs Palin raises more questions about the thoroughness of the McCain vetting process.
"Some believe that Mr McCain made the last minute decision to select Mrs Palin in an attempt to appeal to the Christian Evangelical Republican base and disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters.
"Since the normal vetting process may have been truncated, what other surprises could be in store?"
The teenager said to be the father of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's daughter's baby reportedly describes himself on his MySpace page as a "redneck" who does not want children.
<SCRIPT language=javascript>if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object();window.yzq_d['VCWPtdmSuyA-']='&U=13o74pfn9%2fN%3dVCWPtdmSuyA-%2fC%3d200101456.201663715.202894854.200222684%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d200784479%2fV%3d1';</SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT>
The announcement is being interpreted by some commentators as an embarrassment to the deeply conservative Alaska governor and the Republican campaign.
However, party aides have stressed that Bristol will keep the baby and marry the father.
The Republican party - holding a scaled back convention in St Paul, Minnesota - decided to make the pregnancy public to refute rumours being spread by liberal bloggers that Mrs Palin had faked a pregnancy to cover up her daughter's real one.
In a written statement, the Palin family 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."
The family stressed that Bristol would be keeping the baby and marrying the father.
The father is said to be high school student Levi Johnston, also a 17-year-old high school student.
On his MySpace profile, before it was made private, he reportedly boasts: ""I'm a ****ing redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.
"But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some **** and just ****ing chillin' I guess.
"Ya **** with me I'll kick ass."Under Status, he puts "in a relationship" and under Children, he writes "I don't want kids." Mrs Palin is staunchly anti-abortion and pro-life groups welcomed the announcement that her daughter would be keeping the baby.
Political commentators expressed some surprise at Mr McCain's choice of Ms Palin as his running mate because of her relative inexperience and low profile, although her youth is seen as being an important tool to offset the threat of Democratic candidate Barack Obama - McCain is 72, Palin 44.
Sky News political analyst Jon-Christopher Bua said: "This surprise announcement by Mrs Palin raises more questions about the thoroughness of the McCain vetting process.
"Some believe that Mr McCain made the last minute decision to select Mrs Palin in an attempt to appeal to the Christian Evangelical Republican base and disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters.
"Since the normal vetting process may have been truncated, what other surprises could be in store?"
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