Washington Post:
**....It has been a long time since so much syrupy nostalgia has been in evidence at the White House. But Tuesday night, when President Bush announced his choice for the next associate justice of the Supreme Court, it was hard not to marvel at the 1950s-style tableau vivant that was John Roberts and his family.
There they were -- John, Jane, Josie and Jack -- standing with the president and before the entire country. The nominee was in a sober suit with the expected white shirt and red tie. His wife and children stood before the cameras, groomed and glossy in pastel hues -- like a trio of Easter eggs, a handful of Jelly Bellies, three little Necco wafers. There was tow-headed Jack -- having freed himself from the controlling grip of his mother -- enjoying a moment in the spotlight dressed in a seersucker suit with short pants and saddle shoes. His sister, Josie, was half-hidden behind her mother's skirt. Her blond pageboy glistened. And she was wearing a yellow dress with a crisp white collar, lace-trimmed anklets and black patent-leather Mary Janes.
...
The wife wore a strawberry-pink tweed suit with taupe pumps and pearls, which alone would not have been particularly remarkable, but alongside the nostalgic costuming of the children, the overall effect was of self-consciously crafted perfection.
...
In a time when most children are dressed in Gap Kids and retailers of similar price-point and modernity, the parents put young master Jack in an ensemble that calls to mind John F. "John-John" Kennedy Jr...They are not classic; they are old-fashioned. These clothes are Old World, old money and a cut above the light-up/shoe-buying hoi polloi....***
Oh come on!!! They are little kids dressed like little kids for crying out loud!! What should they have worn?? A leather halter top and leather chaps?
I thought they looked absolutely adorable.
Wow. That crack about the kids' clothes says everything about the biases of the person who wrote it.
It took me a while to figure this one out. It seemed like it was more than just making a threat to Roberts and Bush to withdraw the nomination (with the understanding that everyone breaks the law, you know).
I finally get it.
It's blaming Bush and all Republicans for the fact that Clinton always caved whenever there was any hint of wrong doing. Understandably, because Clinton had so much other baggage. But this is payback, because they actually think that Bush will cave in just because they think that he's so inferior to Clinton. Bush hasn't caved in on anything and now they think they have him by his Achilles' heel.
They are grasping at straws and impaling what shreds were left of the credibility of the NYT as a reputable news organization.
The writer seemed to me to be irritated because the kids weren't wearing "everyday" clothing of the Gap variety, like "most children" wear. I guess she missed the fact that the children were at the White House, where their father was being nominated for the Supreme Court. The liberals cannot seem to grasp the idea that some people might actually have some respect for these institutions and think they are worth dressing up for, even for wearing something nicer than the Gap. Of course, we all know Bill Clinton's dress code for the office, so who can be surprised.