Spend, baby, spend!

Do you think Republican donors wanted $150,000 of their money to go for Sarah Palin's makeover?

Probably, yes. At this point, most of them would be willing to pay for almost anything that helps their standing in the polls.

Sigh. I wish someone would give me $75,000 for a shopping spree. NPR, public television, and a few favored charities have been calling me and I don't have any money to spare this year.

She has billed her home state of Alaska, where she is governor, for more than $21,000 for taking her five children on official trips – even when they were not invited.

I dunno if I object to a mother taking a babe in arms along if she has to travel. (OTOH, there are a lot of germs and cooties out there--maybe the little one would have been better off at home?)

"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," said the McCain campaign's spokeswoman, Tracey Schmitt.

Maybe because in an economic climate where thousands of people are facing the prospect of homelessness daily, where the unemployment rate is rising, and where so many people are losing faith in the government's ability to govern, the Republican Party looks just a little out of touch after paying $150,000 to makeover a woman who claims to be Just Plain Folks?

(Besides, didn't McCain say he didn't want to talk about the economy or other issues. Wasn't he the one who said this should be a campaign of personalities?)