The strange defense of Sarah Palin's wardrobe

"This is just an unfortunate misunderstanding," Sarah Palin didn't say. "When Senator McCain chose me to be his running mate, it didn't just catch the country by surprise, it caught me by surprise. There I was in Arizona with just a few things in a suitcase and suddenly I'm on the schedule for ten appearances a day and all my clothes are in Alaska."

Sarah Palin didn't say that.

"Even worse," Governor Palin didn't say, "and I know a lot of women can empathize with this, I just had a baby and a lot of my clothes, um, well, they don't fit the way they once did. Not at the moment, I hope that will change! I'm trying to find time for jogging, it's really hard."

Sarah Palin didn't say that, either.

"So in all the rushing around before the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis," Governor Palin continued not to say, "Some well-intentioned people ran out and bought me some jackets and blouses and skirts. They have very good taste, and they bought some very lovely things at some wonderful stores. And I'm grateful for their help, but of course I'm not accepting clothes or any other kinds of gifts paid for by campaign donations to the Republican Party. It was always intended that these clothes would be donated to charity, and it's my understanding that this is completely in compliance with the law. If that turns out to be incorrect, of course I'll pay for every single item out of my own personal funds."

That concludes the statement Sarah Palin did not make.

Here's what Governor Palin actually said, in an interview Thursday with Jill Zuckman of the Chicago Tribune:

"But I'm glad you brought up the wardrobe. That whole thing is just, bad! Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are. The clothes that were loaned to us during the convention. And I don't think it was anywhere near...What did they say, Tracey? $150 grand? It wasn't anywhere near that. Those are not ours. We give those back, those go to charity or they'll be auctioned off or whatever. That's not even my property. So to be criticized for that, that is not who we are."

So that's her story. The critics are bad, the critics are wrong, the critics are painting a false picture of her.

Try again, Governor.


Copyright 2008

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