Sen. Barack Obama said firmly that families are off-limits in the
campaign for president, reacting to news that GOP running mate Sarah
Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.


"Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's
families are off-limits, and people's children are especially
off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance
to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as
a vice president."

Obama said reporters should "back off these kinds of stories" and noted
that he was born to an 18-year-old mother.

"How a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be
the topic of our politics, and I hope that anybody who is supporting me
understands that's off-limits."