Flit

Palin photo links

Without passing judgment on what appears at first glance to be one of those extraordinary claims requiring something something, this did seem to describe at the very least some very odd delivery day behaviour on the part of America's latest prominent public figure and her physician, at least as it's viewed in this extended household (where, your correspondent excepted, not everyone is entirely unacquainted with childbirth). Links to photo evidence below the fold.

UPDATE: The Times weighs in.

Palin photo evidence, in chron-order:

Palin and family in a photo taken in late October, 2006 (note: not 2007, as the Kos diarist claims; another photo from the same shoot has turned up here. Obviously that means that this photo is a year too early to be evidence of anyone's pregnancy; the Kos writer and several other conspiracists are wrong on this one.)

Palin and unnamed daughter in August, 2007 (note: based on comparison with the other photos, this is probably actually Willow, then 13, not as it says, "first daughter" Bristol, then 16.)

Palin and family in late 2007, probably as with the year before the governor's family holiday shot. At this point, based on the April 18 birthdate, someone in this photo is already early in a pregnancy. However, shortly after this was taken it was Bristol, right, who reportedly stopped attending school for an extended period (5+ months). Her mother continued working until the day of birth (see below).

Palin 1-2 days after the happy day. Despite being a mother at 44, and having a premature, apparent Down's birth, which made her abruptly leave a Texas party event and fly eight hours back to be with her family physician -- after finishing her speech, of course -- rather than have the baby in Texas in case there were heart complications as is common with that syndrome (the physician strangely having put her under no travel restrictions despite the high-risk pregnancy), Palin was back at work as governor three days later.

Palin and girls in July, with baby Trig now 3 mos. old. Note that in the official photo linked above, Palin and her two daughters are about the same height, indicating there are some camera perspective-distortion issues in this shot affecting apparent heights. AP does not attempt to assign names to the daughters, but based on features comparison I'd guess it's Bristol, now 17, in the back.

Palin and eldest daughter now, with one of them now four months post-partum. The question posed by the conspiracists now is which.

The photos of Palin herself in the critical period seem to argue against, however. Here's a composite of the various public photos of a standing Palin with confirmed dates so far unearthed from around her March 6 announcement of pregnancy (when she would have been 31 weeks pregnant, approximately) and before her April 18 delivery date (week 36; the baby was premature). Photos are from (1) Super Tuesday, Anchorage Daily News; (2) National Governors Association, Washington; (3) Washington press conference, National Press Club; (4) Anchorage, Associated Press; (5) Alaska Republican Convention, Alaska Report (NOTE: accompanying the first story that said Palin looked visibly pregnant); (6) Close of state legislature, Flickr (NOTE: Incorrectly identified as a February photo by Michelle Malkin's site).

A couple things that need saying

(Post to be edited as I think of addenda.)

Before I wander off (see post above), a couple things that need saying.

Americans, seriously, if you don't elect Obama this fall your country will deserve the worst that history's luck can offer. He's the kind of leader that comes along maybe once in a generation. You may not agree with every position in his platform, and he would have to be superhuman to live up to the promise he's displayed, but sometimes you really need to opt for the man of the times over regular human mediocrity. This is that moment.

If Governor-General Jean were to go all King-Byng and ask Dion-Layton to form a government should the PM pull the plug this week, rather than put Canadians into yet another unwanted election, I would personally have no problem with that.

Aug. 29 update: The Palin VP pick may only demonstrate once again the fundamental contempt the Republican Party holds the average American voter in (the "look at all the stupid people falling for a celebrity" attack line being heretofore the most obvious exemplar) but all it does for me is remind me of that classic 1980s Doonesbury punchline on the occasion of a previous VP pick, "It's, it's an Irish setter... no, it's Senator Dan Quayle!" Remembering of course that it was none other than John McCain himself who said on the occasion of the Quayle pick, "I can't believe a guy that handsome wouldn't have some impact." Second time as farce, etc.

Aug. 30: I want to live in a Canada that includes both Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn, regardless of what they might say about Muslims, and hell, even the Rev. Stephen Boissoin, too. I demand the freedom to read, if I choose, whatever hateful words people wish to write, on any subject. I reject all efforts by our non-elected "human rights commissions" to limit Canadians' fundamental right of free speech. Whatever other mediating influence they might wish to exert on our society, in the area of work grievances, etc., speech choice cannot ever be the realm of the censorcrats in a free society.

(As an perhaps unnecessary addendum to the above, I do support those self-regulating industry efforts, such as the MPAA's, to label potentially offensive content, when aimed at the average consumer. People have a right to know whether a movie will give their kids nightmares before they take them, or a computer game will mess with their heads before they view it. Description is not censorship. Neither, for that matter, is the withdrawal of government funding from art that voters might find distasteful. But I digress.)