Mona Charen over at The Corner thinks that Palin's $150,000 spent on wardrobe in two months isn't really all that impressive. To demonstrate, she points out that Obama's suits are rumored to cost as much as $1,500.

Of course, for Obama to buy enough $1,500 suits to spend $150,000 in 52 days - the amount of time between Palin's selection as Vice Presidential nominee and when the story broke on Monday - he would need to buy 1.9 suits per day.

Of course - Charen also points out that some of the money was also spent on the rest of the Palin clan - but the amounts here seem to be relatively trivial - $5,000 on her husband for example.

This is also clearly part of a history of Palin using public office for her private enrichment - from the budding travelgate scandal, in which Palin charged the state of Alaska for all of her children's and husband's travel and for hotel rooms, adding up to at least $40,000 (not including her own travel) - to the per diem charges she billed to the state of Alaska for every night she stayed in her own home adding up to some $16,000.

Based on her dismissal of the outrage over Palin's expensive wardrobe due to her faulty math skills and partisan blinders, Charen declares the real reason for the outrage:

I cannot escape the suspicion that one reason everyone is so exercised (other than the obvious, i.e. that she's a Republican) is that she is so gorgeous in those clothes. There is simply no other woman in political life to match her. The green-eyed monster strikes!

By that logic, can't we also accuse all those conservatives out there of jealousy - as they brought up John Edwards's $400 haircuts at every mention of his name?

I just don't buy it. I think $150,000 in a close fought race is a lot of money to spend on clothes.

At the same time, this reinforces some of the more unsavory aspects of the scandals brewing in Alaska.

It's news - whether Mona Charen likes it or not.

Tags: $150000 wardrobe, $400 haircuts, John Edwards, Mona Charen, National Review, one hundred and fifty thousand dollar wardrobe, Sarah Palin, The Corner

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 and is filed under Election 2008, McCain. Comments are closed; the conversation is kept as it was.