EKB News

Either way, Bristol has something to brag about if talk at the Palin dinner table turns toward vote-getting ability. Just like her mom, Sarah, and her campaign for the vice presidency two years ago, however, Bristol fell short at the end. She finished third to champion Jennifer Grey of "Dirty Dancing" fame during the ABC competition's two-hour finale Tuesday. Runner-up was Disney Channel star Kyle Massey.

Palin's march, shimmy and cha-cha to the finals put "Dancing With the Stars," of all programs, into the nation's political cauldron. Clearly, Bristol drew support from many people who admire her mother, who frequently appeared in the show's studio audience to root for her daughter. Bristol said Tuesday that if she won, "it would be like giving a big middle finger to people who hate my mom and hate me."

Sarah Palin supporters helped organize campaigns to keep her daughter on the show, like radio talk host Tammy Bruce's "Operation Bristol." Conservative blogger Kevin DuJan's Hillbuzz.org website also led a get-out-the-vote effort and wrote after Tuesday's results that Palin "drove the Left crazy for three months.