Hello, Young Lovers

Those crazy, love-struck kids! I'm talking about Bristol and Levi, of course, and ever since their engagement was announced by Us Weekly, their story is everywhere. Levi got down on one knee to propose! He put rose petals on her bed in the shape of a heart! She wants to wear a Carolina Herrera wedding gown, with the groom and the love child in camo gear! Sarah didn't know...

This wouldn't be news, of course, if the bride's mom wasn't Sarah Palin, and even the various political pundits got into the act, wondering if the story helps or hurts Sarah's potential presidential campaign. Some, including Ben Smith of politico.com, clearly got caught up in the romance of it all and tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, saying that the engagement is a way of "cleaning up a messy family situation" in support of Sarah's efforts to be seen as a serious and credible politician. Based on the way things have played out this week, however, I think Ben and his friends may have jumped the gun with the Happily Ever After narrative. So far the story reads more like Peyton Place on the Klondike than Family Ties.

Levi's mother was in tears on Inside Edition. Levi's sister, who took to her blog to share the family's sadness at learning about this via the media instead of from Levi himself, couldn't resist alluding to the possibility that Tripp's baby brother or sister is already on the way. ("I certainly do not understand why you are rushing things. Unless there is some reason for the hurry.")

Bristol's ex-boyfriend weighed in too, speaking with Shushannah Walshe on The Daily Beast. In addition to the predictable "trash the ex-girlfriend" stuff, Ben Barber says that Levi is "probably the worst person to give fame to," which provides some enlightenment for those of us who were wondering why B & L used US Weekly to announce their engagement. Apparently in Palinland, fame is the best gift anyone can possibly get.

Young Ben also shares that he texted Bristol to ask her if she is pregnant. Bristol is a national spokesperson for teen abstinence and she stated very clearly to Oprah a few months ago that she won't be sexually active again until she is married. If Bristol truly is a young woman who doesn't have sex, her boyfriends, both current and former, would certainly know it, along with the fact that girls who don't have sex don't get pregnant. What could possibly make Ben think he had to ask about pregnancy? For the record, Bristol said no, but you do have to wonder. (Yes, this is snark, but for those of us who don't admire Sarah Palin, hypocrisy is one of the reasons and Bristol's "do as I say, not as I did" gig as an abstinence spokesperson has always annoyed me.)

So what does all this mean for Sarah's professional prospects? Too soon to tell but I'm definitely going to keep watching. Until the next political sex scandal pops up this is about as entertaining as it gets.