RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion. According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74. The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.– Politico

Shop on, Sarah Palin, shop on! Where I come from, when you say that your kids were invited and they weren’t, that’s called “lying.” And when you amend expense reports to say they were on official business when they weren’t, that’s called “falsifying documents.” No doubt that’s because I don’t come from Real America, and haven’t absorbed nearly enough of its timeless moral values. — Obisidian Wings

Sarah Palin may have to pay income tax on all those fancy clothes. In the tank ABC reporter Jake Tapper has spoken to a purportedly “well-respected” tax attorney who believes that Sarah Palin will have to declare that $150,000 worth of fancy convention clothes as income, because her excuse that they were “borrowed” from the RNC is kind of, well, wrong.  — Wonkette 

25 better ways to spend $150,000 than buying a campaign wardrobe for Palin. After learning the RNC spent $150,000 in less than seven weeks on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe — at stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus — we decided to take a look at what else you could get for that amount to see if the money could have been spent more wisely. 75 Blue Hemi Hope or Delta Scout pitbull puppies at $2000 each from SouthernPitbulls.com to serve as a mascot for Sarah Palin lovers. 13,636 world maps at $11.00 each from Maps.com so McCain can finally learn Czechoslovakia no longer exists and that Iraq and Pakistan do not share a border; as a bonus, Palin can see Russia without having to walk outside her house and learn that New Hampshire is not part of the Great Northwest. — StopThinkVote

And today on Crikey blogs…

Violence and extinction in Tasmania’s forests — Rooted 
Can Obama lose? Oh yes… US Election Blog
India learns to win the Australian way – sledging and all — Charlie Happell
How will the economic crisis affect open source? — Trevor Cook, Corporate Engagement