Just before Bristol Palin took to the stage last night on "Dancing with the Stars", she said she hoped she wouldn't embarrass her mother. Then, dressed as mom, Sarah, she ripped off her campaign suit and stripped down to a red-fringed mini-dress. She then proceeded to shake, rattle, and toss her leg over the shoulder of her male dance partner seductively. It was hardly the "modest" promise the Palin spawn made when she announced her participation on this season of the series. While her moves were better than The Situation, it wasn't the kind of thing that would make most moms proud. Not to mention a mother considering a run for President.
But the Palin family have set the bar low when it comes to publicity stunts. And last night was no exception. If Bristol was hoping to differentiate herself from her mom's endeavors, she didn't do a good job. She chose Three Dog Night's "Mama Told Me Not to Come", noting the similarities between the lyrics and her mom's disapproval of her ex-future-husband Levi Johnston. Dressed like a cheap Halloween costume version of the former VP candidate, it was teenage rebellion at its most perverse. You couldn't help but consider Bristol's decision to be on the show as an act of revenge on a woman who dragged her personal life into the public eye.
So did she embarrass her mom? If anyone else were her parent, the answer would be yes, in no uncertain terms. But for a woman who quit her role as Governor for more time in the spotlight, this may have been Sarah's proudest moment.
Palin, who wasn't in the studio audience, tweeted last night: "Over-the-moon excited and happy for Bristol! Cheering her on @ DWTS party in the Palin living room." Next week, she's slated to be cheering in the studio stands. Maybe she'll even rip off her suit and join her daughter on the dance floor.
