Finger-pointing over Sarah Palin's wardrobe fiasco now involves Nicolle Wallace

(UPDATE: See update below.)

While Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s popularity is sinking like a hemline after a stock market crash, Republicans are busy playing the same “blame game” they often find so distasteful in others. (Like, say, those pesky Democrat types who were looking for culprits after the botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina.)

In fact, Palin and her family's $150,000 clothing tab is turning out to be the shopping spree from hell, consuming all sorts of energy that might have been put to better use garnering votes.

When Palin addressed the issue in a campaign rally the other day, claiming that she hasn’t even worn most of the clothes and that in any case, they do not belong to her, some unnamed McCain advisers got angry with their vice presidential nominee.

They claimed she is looking out for her own interests at the expense of McCain’s. (Can we just say, though, that we are smitten by the phrase “rogue diva”?)

Last weekend, McCain aide Nancy Pfotenhauer (a name Jon Stewart loves to stutter over) insisted the clothes purchases were the idea of the Republican National Committee, which paid for them.

This prompted RNC Chairman Mike Duncan to insist in a rare public rebuke to the McCain campaign that the RNC was only doing what the campaign had requested and that the ensuing purchases were entirely legal. (The RNC is allowed to coordinate some expenditures with the campaign.)

Now, though, there appears to be a move afoot to place....

...blame where everyone is enjoying putting it this season: on the Bush White House. Well, not exactly the Bush White House, but with someone who came to the McCain campaign on a path that lead through the Bush White House.

The current favorite fall guy or gal is Nicolle Wallace, the former Bush White House communications director who left her post as political analyst on CBS Evening News last May to join the McCain campaign. She's under fire for the VP candidate's $150,000 wardrobe disaster.

Wallace grew up in Orinda, Calif., and graduated from UC Berkeley. Now, she's a senior adviser to Palin, something she may live to regret.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd got the ball rolling Sunday when she wrote that "dunderheaded aides, led by the former Bushies Nicolle Wallace and Tracey Schmitt (Palin's traveling press secretary), costumed their Eliza Doolittle for a ball when she should have been dressing for a bailout.

On Monday, (see video below) Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes alleged on the Fox News network that sources in the McCain campaign blamed Wallace for the clothing purchases, and leveled a rather drastic accusation against her:

“The person who went and bought the clothes and, as I understand it put the clothes on her credit card, went to Saks and Neiman Marcus ... the staffer who did that has been a coward, and has not stepped forward and said ‘I made a mistake, I bought these clothes, I shouldn’t have. It’s been an embarrassment to the campaign, and to Sarah Palin and to John McCain. I hurt the campaign. I am sorry. It was my fault.' Instead, she has allowed Sarah Palin to take the whole hit.”

If Wallace was not responsible, added Barnes, “then let her announce it publicly.”

(UPDATE: During Tuesday's panel discussion on Fox News' "Special Report with Brit Hume," Barnes apologized for being wrong in his accusation and specifically apologized to Wallace.)

Wallace responded to Politico, whose blogger Ben Smith has been on the case nonstop:

"I will not engage in a blame game. If folks are determined to lay this at my feet, I accept that from Fred Barnes or your unnamed sources or anyone else, and hope we can move on and discuss the big choices in this election.”

Tuesday, in an interview with Tina Brown's new website, the Daily Beast, Wallace told Ana Marie Cox that she was probably the victim of a nasty but planned attack:

There's obviously an organized campaign to lay blame for things at my feet, and I’m not going to engage before the campaign ends. I have a very long relationship with Fox News and the notion that someone would call me a coward on the air and accuse me of putting $150,000 on my credit card without a single person calling and checking with me suggests that something is going on.

Earlier, sensing that she was about to have a close encounter with a large vehicle, Wallace had e-mailed news organizations with a statement that we feel ought to earn some sort of Classy Moment Award:

"If people want to throw me under the bus," wrote Wallace, "my personal belief is that the most honorable thing to do is lie there."

-- Robin Abcarian

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Photo: John McCain staffer Nicolle Wallce, left. Credit: Mary Altaffer / Associated Press

Comments

[Republican Party 1854-2008 RIP.]

After this election is over, the Republicans should give serious consideration to changing the name of their party to the Donner Party.

[VJ Machiavelli]

Well, the truth needs to come out If not her than who.

One has to wonder why she left CBS to join the campaign, was she bored or was she looking for the glory.

I guess after the election the truth will come out.

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com

[Kathleen]

Nicolle will survive, she's going back to CBS post election and bottom line her job is to get McCain elected not to elevate Palin to High Princess of Mucky Mucks. Personally I have been disappointed with her Republican career. Putting political differences aside it is obvious that Palin likes to play high school girl games and enjoys running over every person she comes across. Palin is a large liability to the Republican party thanks to John McCain. Palin was the candidate she could have said no to the clothes, I'm going to Gander Mountain or K Mart.

Nicolle will survive, Palin will not.

[Chelsea (age 11)]

Me and my Mom think Sarah is so pretty, and her clothes are pretty too, just like my aunty Janet. I hope she wins cuz she is so pretty.

[sick of their campaign]

Fred, your love for the Belle Palin has blinded you. You will wake up some day (hopefully soon) and realize how rediculous you have become. The clothing "scandal" is rediculous - of course Nicole Wallace did not decide unilaterally to go out and spend $150,00 on ther own credit card. How absurd to suggest she owes an apology. Of coruse Palin could have rejected the clothes -- she tried them on before taking the tags off and wearing them in public. Now she is blaming others for what she wore day after day until the story broke. If Palin couldn't control what she wore (several changes each day), how could she negotiate with foreign and domestic leaders, or solve our problems in our financial system, our health care system, or the environment? Palin is no maverick.

[barefootboy]

These people just trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. The sweet part is the more they or you criticize Sarah Palin the more popular she gets. Some people you don't try to run down, you help them and hurt yourself when you do. Sarah is a well qualified person, more than Obama or Biden and people know it. Every person that has said bad things like this should be ashamed of them selves. You are just showing how low class you are.

[emmarose]

this campaign is hysterically in the DITCH. i mean this is like 2 year olds trying to cover up who ate all the cookies before mommy and daddy come home. jesus. i cannot imagine being in the middle of that group. it must be like a lion pit with noone acting older than 4 years old. if obama doesn't win, then the world really is flat.

[Tyrone]

Barack Obama's father was a socialist. Read his book "Dreams of my Father". Obama in his other book "Audacity of Hope" said that he hung around Marxist Professors. In a 2001 interview on Chicago Public Radio, Obama attacked the constitution and promoted his views of "redistribution of wealth". At the last debate between him and McCain, Obama again promoted his views in support of "redistribution of other people's wealth. When he was talking with Joe the plumber, Obama said that spreading the wealth his good. Now I could focus on all that also his "affiliations" with hardcore racists and radicals like Jerimiah Wright, Louis Farakhan, Otis Moss, Michael Flagher, William Ayers, Barnadine Dorn and others OR I could focus on Governor Sarah Palin's wardrobe. What should I chose honestly?

Should I base my vote on Sarah Palin's wardrobe or the character and agenda of Barack Obama?

[ushi]

As wardrobes go, Sarah Palin DID look incredible wearing it. She still looks great. Try going a bit deeper Tyron and have a look at Obama's cousin and the bloodbath following the failure of Odinga in the Kenyan elections. The ends justify the means and the government shared power with Odinga after the elections. Kenyan Africans and christian churches with christians inside were the main casualities.For muslim communists then, this was a good thing. Obama and his cousin whose son is called Fidel Castro Odinga, are from the same Kenyan Arab muslim tribe. Google Odinga Obama and surf.
Palin stands for freedom of people from a state that interferes in the lives of its citizens overmuch including financially..Having the US self sufficient in energy by drilling and mining but wanting it done ecologically aswell as investing in clean renewable energy because that will take a while to kick in but drilling is quicker for results. This should help circumvent the politics of international gas an oil and create jobs. Low taxes especially for small business who hire a lot of the workers. Reform goveernment spending. Spend it well, not wasing it. Save wasteful spending to reduce the debt and regulate financial industries better. SP has shewn capability in these areas in Alaska. A tax credit for medical insurance across the board which will give freedom to choose where to spand it and increase competion, thus reducing health costs. Some health plans by employers will be taxed but the tax credit will compensate for that. Some health plans are big big moneywith the works adn perks.No PC sex indoctrination at schools and the right to life to be decided state by state. Fairness to gays (a best friend is gay) but marriage between the two sexes only. In Uk the adoption agencies run by catholics could no longer survive because of gay rights. ushi UK

[whitneymuse]

Nicole Wallace when she had the communication's Director's job at the White House. I'll have to go with the evidence reported by people who got her wrath; David Frum has gotten into print stating just that. She came across on her face time interviews, as a pretty cold communicator, unlike the personality that Palin evidenced; drawing the many crowds she did.

McCain would have gone down to a huge defeat had it not been for Palin; we shall see if she can work some magic in Georgia, today, too.