Move over “Meet the Press.” Make way for “meet the freshly pressed!”

Honestly, the Republican nominee for president of the United States – at a time of global economic catastrophe, domestic political polarization and war – actually got asked about his running mate’s clothing allowance on that hard-hitting bastion of political discourse, “Meet The Press.”

Maybe the reason NBC has had such a hard time replacing the intellectually impeccable Tim Russert is because they are looking on the wrong networks for the next up and coming grill-master. Why look to NBC, CBS, CNN or ABC when the really tough questions about fashion are clearly asked on BRAVO? Move over Tom Brokaw, the new host is Tim Gunn of “Guide to Style.”

I know that $150,000 sounds like a lot of money. Especially to those of us who have never made that much money in three years – let alone spent that much in one week at Neiman Marcus. But what do you expect? I personally think that’s far less than I would have guessed Sarah Palin’s and her family’s clothes to have cost.

Steve Rabinowitz of Rabinowitz-Dorf Communications, a company that monitors the presidential campaign expenditures announced on Sept. 17 that the presidential campaigns collectively have spent $15 million on television advertising since early August. And they spent all that money because nowadays elections are all about image. Neither campaign would spend millions of dollars on television commercials and then let their superstars parade around in clothes like the rest of us wear. The men don’t wear suits from Sears nor do the women bargain hunt at J.C. Penney.

If the second family of the Republican Party, or the Democratic Party for that matter, announced that they were going to shop this year at Goodwill or The Salvation Army out of respect for the poor of this country, the financial struggle the families of our veterans find themselves in or the plight of the elderly on fixed incomes, they’d get ridiculed and laughed at in a manner far more bruising than the tongue-in-cheek foolishness that they are getting now for gussying up expensively for the big game.

Personally, I think people should quit picking on Palin for the fact that she wanted to wear the uniform of the big leagues. She, after all, is playing in the big leagues. The woman is drop dead gorgeous with a figure that most of us can’t imagine having before the five kids let alone after them. Somebody can try to tell me that her looks had nothing to do with her selection as vice presidential candidate, but first I’ll need to buy the Brooklyn Bridge.

If the Republicans wanted to run their smartest, most inclusive, political standard-bearer to run with Sen. John McCain, the ticket would have been McCain-Snowe. With Olympia Snowe as the VP choice no Republican would worry about McCain’s advancing years. But this wasn’t about brains. And I’m not saying that mature senior senators aren’t lovely anymore than I’m saying that hot young governors aren’t smart.

See, this discussion isn’t about what’s in Gov. Palin’s head; it’s about what’s in our heads. The only reason that the U.S. electorate doesn’t feel insulted by this discussion of clothing or hairstyling is because we as a society have been dumbed-down to care more about looks than then we care about substance.

Time to acknowledge that the way Gov. Palin dresses is more important than her understanding of Russian foreign policy.

Need more proof?

Did you know that within three months of the recent birth of her twins, Angelina Jolie got a tummy tuck? She says, according to Star magazine, that she calls it a mommy tuck. Gee, America, you’re a tough audience. If Angelina Jolie isn’t pretty enough to have a few stretch marks or a saggy belly, then a VP candidate wearing frumpy clothes has no chance at all.

And no, Angelina Jolie’s work as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees doesn’t outshine her outward appearance – and don’t pretend that it does.

So leave Sarah Palin alone about her appearance – we live in a shallow world – and keeping up means looking the part.

Pat LaMarche of Yarmouth is a spokeswoman for The Olympia Group and its campaign for a casino in Oxford County. She may be reached at PatLaMarche@hotmail.com.