Obama Campaign issues Dress Code for Female Reporters

By Rick Moran

It appears that Team Obama didn't want to offend any Muslim sensibilities on his trip to the Middle East. The campaign issued a dress code for female reporters last week that showed just how patronizing and condenscending these arrogant jamokes can be.

Reporters traveling overseas with Sen. Barack Obama were thrown a bit of curve last week when the campaign emailed a "dress code" for Israel and Jordan. Aides had passed along as a courtesy the list that they had distributed to their staff to follow. But some of the tips raised a few eyebrows, particularly among the female reporters.

"Do not wear green." (Explained later as the color of Hamas)

"Do not wear nail polish."

"Women should only wear a limited amount of jewelry."

"Shoulders and arms must be fully covered (no strapless tops, no tank tops, no short sleeve shirts.)"

"Closed-toe shoes, women should also wear stockings."

At historical and religious sites, a suit or slacks should be worn, shoulders and arms must be covered ("no strapless tops, no tanks tops no short sleeve shirts"), shoes might need to be removed, and women may be asked to cover their heads and "should be prepared with a scarf/pashmina," the email stated.

Perhaps the Obama campaign would like to dictate what color panties female reporters should show up for work in.

Ed Morrissey sees the arrogance inherent in such a "dress code:"

First, wouldn't women traveling to the Middle East already understand at least some of this, especially the journalists? This gives more than just a faint whiff of paternalism, lecturing professionals about how they should comport themselves. All appearances to the contrary, the media entourage does not work for Team Obama. One might think that the women of the press would get offended by treating them like schoolchildren or idiots.

And some of this is downright strange, especially in Israel. Israeli women don't wear nail polish and open-toed shoes? Apparently, they don't like jewelry, either. Do they care if women wear stockings or not, and why should the Obama campaign care?

I suppose if any of this offends the women in the press, the proper response would be, "Just get over it, sweetie."

Ed is correct. Most if not all of those reporters who are accompanying Obama on his trip (except Katie Couric who is as clueless a talking head who ever graced a TV screen) know full well how to show respect and the proper dress is certainly part of this. Did they really expect a female reporter to show up in a tank top at a mosque? Or a photo op with Maliki?

I suppose we should expect all Americans to be getting our own little memos from time to time from Obama. No doubt there will be a national data bank of email addresses and every once and a while, we will receive word from on high what is expected of us as Americans.

Just more creepiness from a man and a campaign that seems to revel in exercising power.