Sarah Palin was thought to be a pick of potentially high risk and high reward when she was selected as John McCain's running mate. So far, the reward has been that, as a Washington outsider with a conservative record, she has galvanized the base and boosted the campaign's fundraising. On Monday, however, the potential risks of a largely unknown candidate also were on display as the campaign released a statement that Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

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