I've been thinking about all of the flack Sarah Palin and the McCain campaign have been getting over spending on her wardrobe and makeup. The "controversy" is ridiculous on several levels. Palin is applying for a job - a job that's a step above her current position. As such, she, like any other job seeker, also needs to step it up. She needs to project the proper image for the job she wants. This look

isn't going to cut it. Of course, as a Republican, Palin is damned no matter what this year. If she stuck with that pink & floral look she'd be mocked. If she spends money, she's criticized.

Some people have bitched about a double standard for women in politics. I'd argue that there's no double standard, but rather just a different standard. Women in politics have to figure out a way to look both powerful, yet still sufficiently feminine (but not too sexy). That's tough, and frankly, achieving that look really is going to cost some money in both wardrobe and advice.

Men in politics, on the other hand, don't have to worry so much about their daily image. A suit and a tie will do. The trouble for men comes in when they deviate from that standard look. Campaigns have been ruined when male candidates play dress up. Once out of their "uniform", Michael Dukakis and John Kerry looked like lightweights and phonies.

Contrast that with Ronald Reagan, who seemed perfectly as ease in a suit or on a horse.

Now sure, Reagan actually wasn't a phony, but still, images like that don't just happen. The Palin campaign has done no more and no less to create and sustain the proper image than any other campaign. The media is criticizing her now because she's a Republican, not because she's doing something unusual.