In Fairness, Who Can Forget the Many Stories About Greg Craig’s Footwear?

As Carmon says, it’s not the worst example in the world, but still:

Here is a tale of being a woman in public life in two tweets by Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin: “Read what @PhilipRucker and I wrote about Kathy Ruemmler, who went from an outsider to Obama’s chief protector.” “And then, read about Ruemmler’s fabulous shoes.”

Ruemmler is the White House Counsel. According to quotes in the first piece, pegged to the controversy over what she did and didn’t tell the president about the IRS Inspector General Report, she is a “lawyer’s lawyer,” “very deliberate,” and “one of the most cool-headed people in the entire White House.” There is also room in the first piece for Ruemmler’s “legendary” shoe habit — in 2006, she wore pink stilettos while prosecuting Enron! — but two paragraphs were simply not enough. Hence the second story, dated five days later, devoted entirely to divulging that Ruemmler owns one pair of shoes characterized by “a jeweled paisley pattern; another is black and strappy.” Guys, there is a regular Carrie Bradshaw in the White House.

But wait, you say. If Ruemmler didn’t want the Washington Post to talk about her shoes while she’s in the midst of White House “scandals,” why did she wear them? A truly serious person would tiptoe through the West Wing barefoot. Could she arrange for some office-appropriate sackcloth and ashes?