Sarah's Palin family expected to have a quiet and private Hawaii vacation. She was hoping to go undercover and have a little private time and not be bugged by the tabloids or other reporters by blocking out John McCain's name on an old 2008 campaign hat with a marking pen. Instead, when she was photographed wearing the hat with McCain's name blocked out, reporters seized upon the issue wondering if if it was a form of protest or disrespect for her former running mate.

Palin was forced to cut her Hawaii vacation short as well as to issue a statement of respect and support for her former running mate.

Certainly, the hat issue didn't amount to very much. Yet, with Sarah Palin's life so much under the media microscope compared to many politicians, it only proves the ease at which some of her choices, even if innocent, can be open to wide media interpretation.

Just like Tiger Woods has recently discovered, once a celebrity is caught in the media headlights, then it is difficult to regain your privacy. That's part of the public image problem for Sarah Palin and her family. Their lives seem to cross lines with serious political news on one hand and tabloid news on the other hand. Everything comes under the microscope because of this. Even innocent little things like getting a little private time with their handicapped child in Hawaii.