Sarah Palin's hopes of running for the White House in 2012 are being overshadowed by a family feud with the father of her teenage daughter's baby.

After weeks of public vitriol between the families Levi Johnston, the father of the child, went on television on Wednesday to declare that he would be willing to take the Palins to court to obtain custody of his son.

Bristol Palin, 18, gave birth on December 27 to a son, Tripp. The teenage pregnancy was made public when her mother was picked as the Republican vice-presidential candidate. Mr Johnston was flown from Alaska to the Republican convention in Minnesota in September to join the Palin family. To limit the political fallout from the revelation that the unmarried daughter of the Governor of Alaska was pregnant the message was put out that the couple would marry.

Soon after Tripp was born the couple broke up and what should have been a private issue has become an unpleasant family soap opera.

When he appeared on the television show Larry King Live Mr Johnston said that Miss Palin was limiting his access to their son. “I think we're going to have to sue” he said.

Mr Johnston denied initially that he had hired a lawyer but admitted later that he had. Asked if saying that he had a lawyer might anger the Palins, Mr Johnston said: “I don't want to stir anything up.”

Mr Johnston's mother, Sherry, who is due in court next month on felony drug charges, appeared on the show. She said that they were prepared to press legal action for his rights as Tripp's father. “That is what we're going to do next,” Mrs Johnston said. “We were just hoping that we wouldn't have to.”

A statement from the Palin family said: “Bristol is focused on going to college, raising Tripp and advocating abstinence.”

Those comments conflicted with remarks that Miss Palin made on Fox News earlier this year when she said that abstinence was “not realistic at all”. Mr Johnston agreed, saying: “I think all teens, or most of them, are sexually active.”

On an earlier television chat show Mr Johnston outraged the Palins when he said that Mrs Palin knew he was having sex with her daughter in her home in Wasilla. In a statement the Palins called him a liar. Mr Johnston claimed they were treating him as “trailer trash”.

Such a feud has made critics of Mrs Palin - and some of her supporters - wonder if she could ever make the case that she should be president when she cannot control her family.

The Palin drama intensified this month when the half-sister of Todd, Mrs Palin's husband, was charged with burglary, theft and trespass for three alleged break-ins. It is alleged that she took her four-year-old daughter with her.

The family saga is another morality tale on how the political ambition of a parent can threaten the private lives of their children.

Presidential races, public life and private affairs

September 1, 2008 The Republican campaign announces that Bristol Palin is pregnant and intends to marry the father, Levi Johnston, 19, who boasts on the social networking website MySpace that he is a “redneck” who does not want children

September 4 At the Republican National Convention Mr Johnston is greeted with a handshake and friendly slap on the back by John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate. Mr Johnston sports a tattoo of Miss Palin’s name on his ring finger

September 28 An insider for Mr McCain is reported as saying that a wedding, “would be fantastic. You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the [presidential] race for a week”

December 19 Mr Johnston’s mother is arrested on drugs charges

December 29 Miss Palin, 18, gives birth to a son , named Tripp

February 17 In her first interview since giving birth Miss Palin tells FoxNews that asking young people to practice abstinence is “not realistic at all”

March 11 The relationship between Miss Palin and Mr Johnston ends. His sister Mercede tells a magazine that Bristol makes it difficult for him to see his son because “she doesn’t want Tripp around ‘white trash’ ”

April 3 The Palin family release a statement insisting that Miss Palin is a strong advocate of abstinence

April 23 Mr Johnston says that he is willing to go to court to gain custody of Tripp and that Sarah Palin knew he was having sex in her home

Source: Times archives

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