The "family values" ceiling?

John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as a running mate has created significant attention, to say the least. Without veering into a full-blown political discussion, one theme is especially interesting to me: Can the Republican party, with its professed emphasis on family values, accommodate a candidate who is a mother with young children?

This New York Times story illustrates the conflict motherhood presents. It seems like the prodominant view of motherhood for many women is still one of primary caregiver for children. An excerpt from the Times:

Many women expressed incredulity — some of it polite, some angry — that Ms. Palin would pursue the vice presidency given her younger son’s age and condition. Infants with Down syndrome often need special care in the first years of life: extra tests, physical therapy, even surgery.

Sarah Robertson, a mother of four from Kennebunk, Me., who was one of the few evangelical Christians interviewed to criticize Ms. Palin, said: “A mother of a 4-month-old infant with Down syndrome taking up full-time campaigning? Not my value set.”

Many women confront glass ceilings in their professional lives, and Nancy Pelosi declared the marble ceiling of Congress shattered when she became Speaker of the House. However, even Pelosi did not run for elected office until her youngest child was a senior in high school.

Is Palin an example of a mother who can "have it all," in essense, being a SuperMom? Or is her nomination to the VP post a recipe for certain failure? Slate.com discusses the "supermom" idea and concludes: "The Sarah Palin candidacy could have been a moment for women to celebrate, in glass-ceiling terms if not policy advances. But it never should have stood for the notion that the only way a woman is going to make it to the White House is if she's the best mom in America first."