ST. PAUL, Minn. - Republican presidential nominee John McCain began his final drive for the White House on Thursday with a boost from running mate Sarah Palin while Democratic opponent Joe Biden declared her family "off limits" and suggested that some news media coverage of her had been sexist.

Palin and her husband, Todd, announced this week that their 17-year-old unmarried daughter was pregnant and would be marrying her boyfriend, saying they were making a private matter public because of Internet rumors. Biden said the Democratic campaign was not attacking Palin over her family.

"It is off limits to talk about her family," Biden said in an interview with "Fox and Friends" on Fox News Channel. "Every family has difficulty as they're raising their children. I think the way she's handled it has been absolutely exemplary."

The Palins have five children, including a 4-month-old son with Down syndrome, which has sparked widespread discussion over whether Sarah Palin could balance her family responsibilities with the duties of vice president.

Asked if some of the criticism aimed at Palin has been sexist, Biden said: "Yes, by you guys in the media. , When I heard that media response, you know, this coming from some of the right-wing guys, saying that, 'Well, how can you be a mother and a vice president at the same time?' , I mean, millions of women in America are going through exactly what she (is going) through. And guess what? They can handle it."

Meanwhile, McCain's wife, Cindy, said she doesn't agree with Palin's opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest. She also parts ways with Palin on sex education.

Palin opposes abortion and rejects the view that pregnancies caused by rape and incest should be exceptions.

"I don't agree with that aspect, but I do respect her for her views," Cindy McCain told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview taped for broadcast Thursday.

Palin has opposed funding sex-education programs in Alaska. However, Cindy McCain told ABC that she advocated abstinence as a part of sex education at her children's school. "I believe that it's twofold and I think all of it should be taught," she said.

In a prime-time acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, McCain was expected to review his career in public service — first as a Naval Academy midshipman and wartime pilot and then as a 26-year veteran of Congress — while drawing stark policy differences with Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Democratic critics have questioned Palin's political experience as a small-town mayor and her brief tenure as Alaska's governor, but she turned the tables Wednesday night by offering a searing, sometimes sarcastic attack on the opposing ticket.

Biden complimented Palin for delivering an impressive speech with skill but said that issues important to Americans were missing from her remarks.

"I didn't hear the phrase 'middle class' mentioned, I didn't hear a word about health care. I didn't hear a single word about what we're going to do about the housing crisis, college education, all the things that the middle class is being burdened by now," Biden told CBS' "The Early Show."

"There was a deafening silence about the hole that the Republicans have dug us into and any specific answers as to how the McCain-Palin ticket is going to get us out of that hole," Biden said.

McCain's speech was expected to provide the climax to the four-day convention at the Xcel Energy Center. His wife, Cindy, admitted that she was nervous about addressing delegates herself.

"I'd like people to know what makes me work and what makes me tick and who I am, what I'm all about and where I come from," Cindy McCain told ABC. "I have an interesting story to tell as well in that it combines the two of us and makes us a couple and what we will represent."

Palin joined other Republican speakers Wednesday night in praising McCain as a man of character, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who had spent his early career in the military and had sought to change the ways of politics in Washington.

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change," said Palin, toying with the central theme in Obama's campaign.

Palin's 19-year-old son, Track, ships out for Iraq next week with his Army unit. The governor was unflinching as she contrasted McCain's military record with a lack of armed service by Obama and Biden.

"There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you in places where winning means survival and defeat means death — and that man is John McCain," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_convention_rdp

Cindy McCain parts with Palin on abortion, sex ed

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain doesn't agree with vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest.


Cindy McCain also parts ways with her husband's running mate on sex education.

Palin opposes abortion and rejects the view that pregnancies caused by rape and incest should be exceptions.

Cindy McCain tells ABC's "Good Morning America" that[b] "I don't agree with that aspect, but I do respect her for her views."[/b]

Palin has opposed funding sex-education programs in Alaska.

Cindy McCain tells ABC that she advocated abstinence as a part of sex education at her children's school. "I believe that it's twofold and I think all of it should be taught."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_cindy_mccain

Sisikill:

Sadly not agreeing but still respecting a person for their view is a foreign concept to some.

Palin opposes abortion and rejects the view that pregnancies caused by rape and incest should be exceptions.

dreeldee:

I'm an Obama supporter and i think the media should give Palin a break, leave her family out of politics like she said, every family has its own problem. To think that one of her children has the down syndrome and still alive, she's indeed exemplary. Even though, her pro life stand isn't too good, especially on incest and rape cases. In fact it shouldn't be a federal thing, individuals should be allowed to decide if they want to have an abortion or not.

JeSoul:

wow! a reasonable, level-headed and sensible Obama supporter! you are a rare species my brotha and u have my respect.

JeSoul:

wow! a reasonable, level-headed and sensible Obama supporter! you are a rare species my brotha and u have my respect.

SeanT21:

I rebuke that statement in the name of JESUS!!!

How about me? I got class too.

Kobojunkie:

Lol, I doubt he is really a democrat. It is quite rare to find one.

JeSoul:

oh so you think he's just an obama-guy not necessarily a Dem?

Kobojunkie:

I am not sure. Following all the posts from those who seem to be Obamaniacs, I doubt this one can be one of them. Have you seen the points made by many of these? With the injection of Sarah Palin into the elections, suddenly we see that many of these are not just Obamaniacs but also sexists in disguise. I mean you seriously need to read what many of these have posted so far on her. You almost think you are dealing with fascists.

Kobojunkie:

I am not sure. Following all the posts from those who seem to be Obamaniacs, I doubt this one can be one of them. Have you seen the points made by many of these? With the injection of Sarah Palin into the elections, suddenly we see that many of these are not just Obamaniacs but also sexists in disguise. I mean you seriously need to read what many of these have posted so far on her. You almost think you are dealing with fascists.

The real question is why do they feel so threatened by Sarah Palin?
to warrant these kinds of ferocious and venomous attacks?

dreeldee:

did you read my comment before this? where in my comment on Sarah Palin was i being a sexist?

I'm an Obama supporter and i think the media should give Palin a break, leave her family out of politics like she said

Seun:

They (we?) are afraid women will want to vote for Sarah just because she's a woman.

Seun:

If Obama's daughter was pregnant, do you think the Republicans would leave it out of the debate?

dreeldee:

did you read my comment before this? where in my comment on Sarah Palin was i being a sexist?

Seun:

They (we?) are afraid women will want to vote for Sarah just because she's a woman.

Jeez that woman butchered Obama during her speech 2 nights ago.
was all that really necessary?

no offence but that woman is a doofus.

If Obama's daughter was pregnant, do you think the Republicans would leave it out of the debate?

dreeldee:

did you read my comment before this? where in my comment on Sarah Palin was i being a sexist?

which is essentially why Sarah Palin was picked in the first place. Her very first speech was to congratulate clinton and pick out of her 18 million cracks in the ceiling playbook.

We understand McCain is desperate to win, don't lie to our faces in the bid to do so.

McCain on the other hand is ready to lose the election rather than see his country lose a war.

Tayo-D:

@Seun,
Maybe not. But one thing is clear, Obama would have had that baby aborted. He doesn't want his daughter "punished" through having a baby. More reason why I could never vote for him.

Tayo-D:

@Davidylan,
palin was picked because of her record of standing up against special interests, just as McCain. Her primary role was to energize the base and unite the RNC. This she has done successfully. The icing on the cake is her ability to put the DNC in disarray.

Tayo-D:

You meant to say Obama is desperate to win. Obama was quoted as saying he does not intend to lose this election. McCain on the other hand is ready to lose the election rather than see his country lose a war. Obama, for political expediency voted to cut funding to the troops in battle. This is the same guy that now wants to be their Commander in Chief.

How do you know that? you live in his head? What if the daughter wants to keep the baby? He'D put a gun to her head? And people keep saying we are the ones being subjective. Give me a break please.

Lets not decieve ourselves. We know this is flatly lying.

Obama has always voted to fund the war, infact it was one of the problems he had with those claiming he had flipflopped since he initially opposed the war.

No one spends so much money and energy to lose an election.

Tayo-D:

@Davidylan,
I don't live in his head, but i heard him say if his teenage daughter makes a mistake and get pregnant, he wouldn't want her to be "punished" with a baby. What does that mean to you?

Tayo-D:

That may be your take on it, but her most important role was to unite the base. Why did Obama also picked Biden? Was it not to make an in-road into the middle-class? It's not McCain's fault that he checkmated Obama is it?

Tayo-D:

Of course he was funding the war until the election between him and hillary was so tight. He then voted against funding. Talk about political expediency.

Tayo-D:

Does this apply only to Obama or to bothe of them?

Tayo-D:

@Seun,
Maybe not. But one thing is clear, Obama would have had that baby aborted. He doesn't want his daughter "punished" through having a baby. More reason why I could never vote for him.