"And a little child will lead them."

As a man who digs babies, a political observer, and simply a human being, this comparison speaks volumes to me.

(H/T to O'Toolefan, perhaps the MOST prolific tweeter on the internets.)

As a juxtaposition to the post directly below I present the "Obama Babies."

Now what ever you do, I don't want you to smile.



You smiled didn't you?

Sarah Palin and babies, a love story. Well a story anyhow. Update!

"Watch how I make my kids cringe with terror."

"Quit squirming your screwing up my signature."

"Okay I've held it long enough, take the damn picture already."

"Hey stop crying, I'm supposed to be good with retarded children."

Okay perhaps I was unfair, I mean surely she is much more competent with her OWN babies.

I stand corrected.

Gee I hope that is not something genetic which gets handed down from mother to daughter or anything.

Can't say I am surprised.  Of course not being very good with babies does not necessary make you a bad person or anything.

Just not my day for being right is it?

Update: Okay I wasn't going to rub it in, but since so many of you asked...

Barack Obama, the "baby whisperer," strikes again. Updated with a new picture.

It is part of every child's survival instinct to know who they can trust enough to let their guard down.

I wish EVERY American understood what this child naturally understands.

You can see more pictures of President Obama's visit to Iowa by visiting the Obama Diary.

Oh hell, let me leave you with just one more.

Something about the emotion on that woman's face touches me.

Update: Okay so since so many of you requested it, here is the picture of Sarah Palin demonstrating her child comforting abilities.

By the way, who in the hell autographs babies?

The softer side of President Obama.

You know he has a lot of practice calming down babies thanks to his experience working with the Republicans.

I love the look on Michele's face by the way.

A comment from a visitor that really deserves its own post. A timeline that describes what Sarah Palin's birth experience would have been like if it had REALLY happened.

This comment came in response to my "Andrew Sullivan thinks it odd that a woman in the middle of labor has the presence of mind to send e-mails to her staff. You know what? I have to agree" post.

It was so well written, factually based, and passionate, that some of you suggested that I post it.

What can I say, when you're right, you're right.  I now present to you Anonymous 6:57.

I myself have given birth four times- once to twins. So I feel I can be fairly accurate with the following estimations. I've had one homebirth, two vaginal deliveries- one with epidural and one without, and one c-section. So I am taking all my experience into account, along with many secondhand experiences as a doula and birth coach.

They say Trig was born at 6:30am, so...

Immediately after the baby was delivered, the cord would be clamped and he would be taken over to the warmer. The would suction his airways, do his first APGAR, put a security bracelet on his ankle or wrist, clean him up, do a closer umbilical clip, put his first diaper on, and swaddle him up. Now due to Trig's medical issues there certainly would have been an exam done by a pediatrician as well as a pediatric cardiologist. I estimate these measures would have taken approximately 18 to 25 minutes. It seems quick because it is- they do these things bam-bam-bam.

So the time is now approximately 6:50.

Now, while they are clearing the baby's airways and cleaning them up, etc, they are watching mom to make sure the placenta is delivering properly, they'll sometimes press on mom's tummy to jumpstart things is they are stalled...one thing that plays a very large part of this scenario is the fact that Palin claimed to have had to be "induced". Pitocin is a nasty, nasty thing...it forces the body into the most wretched, soul-consuming contractions possible.

The pitocin has to be pulled back for the afterbirth because of the risk concerning uterine prolapse. So we can safely estimate that Palin was starting to expel the afterbirth just as Trig would have been swaddled up and possibly held by dad.

Assuming Palin took the least amount of time possible to expel her afterbirth and that she did not have any tearing (which she likely would have as such a petite woman having a pitocin induced labor) then we can add another 15-20 minutes.

The time is now approximately 7:10.

Palin's own narrative says the children came in "minutes after" the birth. Assuming she didn't make the children watch her afterbirthing...the children come in around 7:15. Supposedly Bristol, Willow, Piper, and of course Levi were there. And Track was on the phone. Even if we allot only 5-7 minutes per child to meet, hold, coo over, etc the new baby, that takes up around 25 minutes.

At some point, Trig will have had his second APGAR scoring. His glucose will be checked and his footprints will be taken. These things will add around 15-20 minutes.

So with kids visiting and holding/meeting the baby (and remember we know from Sarah's own telling to People magazine that each child held Trig right after birth- this is when Willow supposedly says he looks like he has DS- preposterous) and the additional tests and procedures Trig went through...we add about 40 minutes.

The time is now approximately 7:45.

DS babies are notorious for difficult feeding. Sarah herself has mentioned she breastfed Trig. With a DS baby there would have been a nurse or lactation consultant to help with Trig's first feed. In a healthy baby without DS, the first feed averages 40 minutes. It likely took closer to an hour but in the name of playing devil's advocate, we'll say 40 minutes.

The time is now approximately 8:25.

So allowing absolutely NO TIME whatsoever for Sarah to hold and cuddle her new baby nor change her blood and amniotic soaked bed linens...yes, she COULD have been sending emails at 8:30.

But truly- who among us believes that Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, lay in a bed soaked with blood, feces, fluid, mucous...and chose to send nondescript, unimportant emails...before changing her bed linens, using the restroom carefully, with a wash bottle and then putting on a chux pad...and again, not taking any time to just BE with her new baby...?

I can't believe I took the time to type all this out just so I could say once MORE...WHAT AN IDIOT.

Who would believe this??!

6:57 PM

Well I would like to thank you Anonymous 6:57 for being somebody who would take "the time type all this out" because you certainly made a very informative and helpful contribution to this discussion. 

In fact I really have nothing more to add.  You essentially said it all, and said it beautifully.

Thank you.