Sarah's shopping spree

When John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, it was done with little regard for her qualifications to step in immediately to be president if the need should arise. Instead, she was presented to the American people as a political popsicle - tasty but with little nutritional value - something sweet to excite and distract the kiddies from acting like adults at the polls.

But popsicles need colorful wrappings, an observation which puts the latest news about her RNC-financed shopping spree in the proper perspective.

According to the Associated Press, the Republican National Committee spent about $150,000 on clothing, hair styling, makeup and other "campaign accessories" in September for the McCain campaign after Gov. Palin joined the ticket.

The expenses include $75,062 spent at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis Minn., and $41,850 in St. Louis in early September. The committee also reported spending $4,100 for makeup and hair consulting. The expenses were first reported by Politico.com.

The McCain campaign says the clothing will go to a "charitable purpose" after the campaign, according to the AP. Apparently trickle down theory extends to fancy togs.

What Joe the Plumber thinks about Sarah getting a clothing allowance so huge is not recorded, but other working people may get the point: "Shop till you drop" has been retooled as "Sarah shops till everybody else drops."