Governor Sarah Palin's daughter got pregnant. She is only 17 and my heart goes out to the young lady and to her boyfriend for the massive exposure the pregnancy has received from the international media. The debate point - if there is one - is not the unwanted teenage pregnancy -- the point is that her mother, the Governor, pushed for "abstinence only" programs to be taught in Alaska public schools. Bristol Palin's situation - at the very least - might generate some discussion on how that policy is not very effective.

That being said, Governor Palin has won zero points from me in how she has handled this situation. Nevertheless, I expect that the Governor will be in the race until the end. I expected her to deliver a powerful speech last night at the Convention and she will be very effective in the debates. Please, Democrats, do not underestimate this governor from the Pacific Northwest . It would be a serious mistake. One of the reasons I think George Bush even gave Al Gore a race was that he did better in the debates than expected because we all thought he was stupid. Let's not make the same mistake twice.

More importantly, does anyone remember the rest of world out there?

After three days of headlines, front page stories and commentary on Bristol Palin, we seem to have forgotten Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, the poor, tens of thousands of people losing their jobs and homes. This nation is in crisis because of eight years of Republican rule. Our ability to create jobs, pay down our deficit, have a unified nation, help people and bring about justice and peace will dissipate if John McCain and his extreme right-wing running mate are elected.

There is an almost cavalier assumption in the nation's media that the surge has worked and everything is fine in Iraq. The only question is how quickly we can pull out our troops. On the contrary, there is no doubt in my mind that the entire nation is being held together by Scotch Tape. That every day one American soldier is killed, they die needlessly for a war that should have not been fought and that the traditional terms of victory are just not possible. Bombs continue to explode in market places and the hatred between the different sects in Iraq is still very real. We must remind people that it was leadership like John McCain's that got us into a war created by lies and deceit , and that because of that, there is likely no honorable end. He must be held accountable.

The overseas press are reporting that we are preparing for unmanned aircraft to bomb key nuclear installations in Iran. No one is asking any questions or debating the wisdom of this possibility. Is a real plan? What are the consequences? What if Iran opens a second front and we are engaged in a war that rages from Syria to the border of India? Does this mean a draft? Where do we get the troops?

The reconstituted Taliban in Afghanistan is continuing their effective march to Kabul. There seems to be no stopping them. We are sending in 30,000 more troops without a serious debate. We could very quickly find ourselves like the Russians and putting people on helicopters to get them out alive should Kabul fall. The Taliban has major strongholds throughout the southern and eastern mountainous parts of the country. The situation is viewed as critical by many observers. The Republicans love to mindlessly tout that Ronald Reagan won the Cold War. Wrong. The Russians lost the Cold War because Afghanistan effectively bankrupted the nation. The same thing could happen to us.

One of the key problems with the situation in Afghanistan is the that the northwest provinces of Pakistan are strong staging areas for the Taliban. Pakistan has refused to give us the right to bomb or stage operations on its territory. Two years ago I wrote that Pakistan scared the hell out of me and I feel that even more strongly now. With existing nuclear weapons, if the Islamic militants should take control, the world will -overnight - become a much more fragile place. Complicating the situation, the coalition government has become undone. Everyone expects that in the upcoming presidential election the widower of Benazir Bhutto will become President. There is, however, a nagging problem, reported this week by "Newsweek", that Asif Ali Zardari is suffering from serious dementia, depression and PTSD. This is the man that will control the weapons???

Finally, we need to look to our own neighborhoods, Our schools are crumbling. Our education system is becoming a joke. People are being driven out of their homes and many are living in their cars. Hunger is again common place among the American poor. Our elderly are dying in heat waves or cold snaps because of energy prices. The nation has become divided and angry. People are holding one job to pay for gas to get to their other job. The price of food has gone up and forcing parents to serve cheap, unhealthy meals to their children. Our jobs are disappearing and there is a total lack of ideas, vision or plans to come to terms with a declining America.

So, my dear friends, forget poor Bristol and Levi. Show them love and compassion. There are more important things to consider.

Let's get on with this election and win it on the kind of issues that will enable us to create a better America and a more peaceful and just world.