WOLF BLITZER: Kyra, stand by. We're watching this story. I want Bill Bennett to weigh in. Bill, you heard the two stories, really, totally unrelated: A bitter divorce, a bitter custody battle involving her ex-brother-in-law and sister, and the charge being, she called this commissioner and she pressured him, in effect, to go ahead and fire the trooper. He says that publicly. The trooper was never fired. She denies there was any inappropriate political pressure from the Governor to go ahead and fire her ex-brother-in-law.

BILL BENNETT: This is the kind of story that can be appropriately looked at because this is about ethics, ethics in government. Same kinds of questions people have asked about Barack Obama and Rezko, Barack Obama and Bill Ayres. These are serious questions. This is a question about Sarah Palin. I know it was vetted by the McCain campaign, I know we've all been reading about it.

But that first piece of attack of journalism, Wolf, I got to speak to. We all praised Barack Obama, myself included, for saying, do not use the case of this child to start to beat up Sarah Palin and to use this as an opportunity to make points for the Center for Reproductive Pregnancy [Alliance for Reproductive Rights]. That was really out and out outrageous. That should not happen on CNN.

BLITZER: You know it will, Bill. It will generate- Hold on, you know it will generate a discussion about-

BENNETT: On the blogs

BLITZER: Hold on. It will generate a discussion over those who say abstinence only should be taught versus formal sex education, birth control pills, and all of that. And to have a discussion about those issues is totally appropriate.

BENNETT: Totally appropriate separated from this context. That's to the point. That's what Barack Obama said. Do not drag this girl's situation into having a discussion of that.

BLITZER: But it's going to spark a discussion, a debate which has been around for a long time.

BENNETT: Fine, we'll get in it, I'll get in it. My wife will get in it. These are legitimate issues. She just violated everything -- we all praised Barack Obama.

BLITZER: But hold on. What do you think? Should abstinence be taught or should there be formal sex education taught in school?

BENNETT: There should be formal sex education-

BLITZER: You're a former Secretary of Education.

BENNETT: Absolutely and I know the issues very well. What we should do is what's most effective. Abstinence education I believe, the best programs are the most effective. But these are decisions that can be made at the state level. But that bit of advocacy has no place on CNN and its respectable journalism.

....

BENNETT: And public policy. The fact that her daughter got pregnant does not refute the public policy decision and we can discuss those separately. But what Barack Obama has -- I'll invoke him again, has asked us to do is not drag that family, that daughter's situation into this public policy discussion.

BLITZER: It's fair enough. But you know that there is going to be a debate now. The whole issue of abstinence.