Here is a lovely picture of John McCain offering a very paternal hug to Bristol Palin. He, of course, is a father, though he keeps that part of his life private. I bet he is telling her how brave she is being in face of enemy fire.

I agree with Byron, though, that the boyfriend should not be on the stage with the Palin family. For one thing, an engagement is a hypothetical. A marriage is a solid change in status. And, as Byron notes, these kids are stepping up and doing the right thing in the face of a mistake. That is commendable. In life, people screw up. It’s how they recover that matters most in the long run. But — the pregnancy is still an unfortunate situation. No condemnation, but no celebration.