Rumors About Sarah Palin's Fifth Child Abound on the Internet

According to a post on The Daily Kos, Sarah Palin's five month-old son Trig may not actually be hers.  The author speculates that the child, who was born with Down syndrome, may actually belong to Governor Palin's seventeen year old daughter Bristol.
U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain (R) looks on with new vice presidential candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as she stands with her daughters Piper (C) and Willow (L) August 29, 2008 in Dayton, Ohio. McCain made the Palin announcement one day after Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in Denver. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images North America)

There are a few pieces of "evidence" upon which the author stakes his claim:

• No one knew about Sarah Palin's pregnancy until March, a month and a half before Trig was born.  The pregnancy reportedly came as a surprise to even Palin's own staff.
• Palin appeared extremely thin for a pregnant woman until the very last month.  She even appeared lithe and slender in Vogue about 4 months before Trig's birth.
• Palin's daughter Bristol supposedly stayed out of school for several months during the past school year, citing a case of mononeucleosis to explain her absence.
  

While what the author presents seems damning, most of the above "facts" are highly speculative.  The author lists no concrete sources--does not even attempt to legitimize them.  There are plenty of reasons why Sarah Palin would have chosen not to disclose her pregnancy for so long, especially if she knew the unborn child had Down syndrome (according to her, she did). Why invite the press into your private affairs?
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images North America)

What business is it of ours, really? Sure, we could peg Sarah Palin for an unethical liar, but why not a compassionate mother who wishes to protect her daughter? As my friend Kevin notes, "her own party's draconian and outdated norms are what would have caused her to do it in the first place." Truth or not, expect to see more about this rumor in the next two months.

UPDATE: Bristol Palin heading for divorce before she even got married...