Sarah Palin's Goodbye to her Son, Track

Long ago, a young farmer and a haberdasher from Missouri, he followed an unlikely path -- he followed an unlikely path to the vice presidency. And a writer observed, "We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty and sincerity and dignity," and I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman.

I grew up with those people. They're the ones who do some of the hardest work in America, who grow our food, and run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America.

--Sarah Palin, Republican National Convention, September 3, 2008

Yesterday, vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was acting as the Governor of Alaska, addressing soldiers and their loved ones at a ceremony marking the deployment of the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division’s Combat Team, the Artic Wolves, to Iraq.

She was a government official, fulfilling her role as Gov. of Alaska, but she was also there as a mom saying goodbye to her firstborn.

From the New York Times:

Along a brisk airstrip here, Gov. Sarah Palin, now the Republican vice presidential candidate, on Thursday sent off her son, Track, and thousands of other soldiers during a deployment ceremony as they prepared to leave for Iraq.

Calling the efforts in Iraq a “righteous cause,” Governor Palin told the soldiers, who stood stiffly in endless lines here, to allow for a few tears from family members now. “Or if we hold you just a little closer once more before you’re gone because we’re going to miss you,” she said. “We can’t help it.”

...The notion of doing the deployment ceremony on Sept. 11, the anniversary of the terror attacks on New York and Washington, came long before Gov. Palin’s selection as the vice presidential nominee, Major Hyde said, and was the choice of the commanding officer. Governor Palin, who has spoken at such ceremonies here before, was asked to come months ago.

Some 11,000 military members and their families live on Fort Wainwright, one of three army bases in the state. In 48 degree temperatures, thousands of troops stood at attention in lines as the leaders spoke, and a handful of babies, bundled in fleece and wool, wailed from strollers.

While media was allowed by the Army to attend the ceremony, officials set firm limits. Among the rules reporters were required to agree to abide to before being allowed on the base: No interviews with Ms. Palin.

CHEAP SHOT ALERT*CHEAP SHOT ALERT*CHEAP SHOT ALERT

Palin is sending her son off to war and the Times notes that Gov. Palin would not do any interviews.

I don't think that's inappropriate at such an emotional event.

Does reporter Monica Davey note how Palin can really relate to the family members of the soldiers because she, the vice presidential nominee, is one of them?

There's also no mention that Track Palin isn't a minority. He's not poor and going into the service because he has no other options.

The focus is on Palin granting no interviews.

On the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, where Barack Obama says bitter Americans cling to their guns and their religion, Obama refused to answer a reporter's question because he wanted to eat his waffle without interruption.

If he can object to answer questions under those circumstances, surely Gov. Palin doesn't owe the press access on the occasion of saying goodbye to her son.

Ms. Palin’s voice seemed to turn emotional and shaky at moments as she addressed the soldiers and her son.

“This is one of the moments when we have to face the fact that you may not need our protection anymore,” she said. “In fact you’re the ones who will now be protecting us, protecting America.”

Monica Davey of the New York Times comes off as petty.

I think far more Americans can relate to Sarah Palin's emotions than Davey's whining.

God be with the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division’s Combat Team, the Artic Wolves, and their families.