The wardrobe of a hockey mom

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Look who's all dolled up:

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use.

Yeah, she's so real America. (Just like Cindy McCain.) I'm sure the beer-swilling, Walmart-frequenting hockey moms back home in Wasilla can sooooo relate.

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UPDATE: Ambinder notes that the McCain people are, predictably, blaming the media even for bringing this up. However, Republicans are not amused with the dolling up: "The Democrats are going to have a lot more fun with this than is prudent, but the heat for this story will come from Republicans who cannot understand how their party would do something this stupid... particularly (and, it must be said, viewed retroactively) during the collapse of the financial system and the probable beginning of a recession.