San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's new senior gubernatorial exploratory committee adviser said Wednesday that Democrats have a right to be harsh about Sen. John McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate.

Garry South, who just last month agreed to help lead Newsom's explorations of a possible 2010 candidacy for governor, said the recent disclosure that Palin's teen daughter was pregnant seriously puts into question whether the GOP can any longer hold onto ownership of their familiar "family values" mantle.

But it also calls into question Palin's ethics and political judgment, South says in a post in The California Majority Report.

"... My question, thus, is why on earth would a mother who knows her teen-age daughter has conceived out of wedlock agree to accept an offer to run for vice president, knowing with absolute certainty that the pregnancy will be publicly exposed sooner or later and her daughter mortally embarrassed?"

South continues ...

"Was Sarah Palin so into this unexpected, unearned ego trip that she didn't care it would expose her beloved daughter to nationwide ridicule and make her the topic of intense discussion all the way from TV news to water cooler conversations? Wouldn't the better part of valor for a loving, caring mother be to say, thanks but no thanks, I have a private family situation that I don't want to go national?"

Read South's entire post here.