What breaks as news on major television networks is now anybody's new research project. Just ask my wife, Keely - who will tell you letting your fingers do the walking on Google is the practical man's (or woman's) way of getting the kind of information you just won't get via the TV or news paper.

Case in point: Over the labor day holiday, Keely casually decided to follow up on a few personal curiosities regarding Senator McCain's new VP elect, Sarah Palin.  While the latest media "dirt" was focusing on Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, Bristol, Keely noted online comments suggesting Sarah's recent birth of Trig, may in fact have been her daughter Bristol's child (who was pulled out of school for five months due to "mono").

Now I know this may be starting to sound like a bad gossip trail on Extra or something, but bare with me. My intention is not to engage a political agenda, but instead demonstrate an "amateur's" ability to make a decision based on information found faster than the most well respected reporters can release it. On that note, I should also mention that I have not personally checked any of these sources myself. Believe it or not, the political subject matter is not the point of my post. Maybe the information simply isn't credible enough for a reporter to realease.

Inside of 30 minutes from the time she started digging, Keely found a blog post featuring a video interview of Sarah Palin in February of this year.  In this video, Sarah is supposed to be 7 months pregnant. My wife's conclusion, as one who has been 7 month's pregnant on two occasions, is there is no way she is pregnant.

So in our household, via the Internet connection coming into our kitchen on Monday, a suspicion was fully fueled. I have to admit I took a look at the video myself, and it kind of reminded me of all the "16-year old," female Chinese gymnasts we saw at the Olympics this summer. Who knows, though. She is certainly getting enough flack (and praise) without my commentary.

The exciting thing from my perspective is how the political climate has advanced yet another validation to the blogosphere.  Not that we can rely on blogs for definitive truths, but we can at least rely on them as points of opinion and evidence beyond what is served through the filter of entertainment-based media.