When the Shoes Are On Other Feet

By Richard N. Weltz

The New York Times surely spent enough space beating up on Sarah Palin for her wardrobe, but the shoes are on other feet when it comes to the Obama family. An extensive, liberally illustrated article in today’s “Styles” section presents a cloyingly fawning look at Michelle Obama’s taste in clothes.

But it’s more than just a paean to her style of dress. The clue to the Times’s slant comes right in the oversize headline: “U.S. Fashion’s One-Woman Bailout?” If the head doesn’t make the point clear enough, the subhead surely will: “In Michelle Obama’s approach to dressing, a faltering industry sees hope.”

You can, of course read the entire article for yourself to see just how far reporter Guy Trebay goes in beatifying the president-elect’s wife and snarky sideswiping at the hated Bushes – but only if you have a very strong stomach.