Flip-Flop Obsession

Is it just me or do the conservatives of the world have an obsession with the term flip-flop? First, they use it as the backbone for the 2004 Presidential campaign. Now, members of the Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team are being criticized for wearing flip-flops to the White House. Out of all the problems we're facing right now this is an issue? Rove did what? Our homeless rate is how high? How many people in Africa are dying of AIDS? Who cares, did you hear about those girls that wore flip-flops to the White House?

Can we all just hold on and look at the big picture. Literally look at the picture of the team with Bush. All of the girls are dressed nicely in dresses or skirts and blouses, their hair is clean and styled and their make-up and jewelry are appropriate. Yes, some of them are wearing flip-flops but they aren't cheap brightly colored flip-flops you wear to the beach, they are higher-end flip-flops that match their outfits. Really what is the difference between the nice flip-flops and the other open-toed sandals the rest of the girls are wearing? Another thing to take into consideration is that these girls are between 18-22 years old. It is perfectly logical for them to wear nice, designer flip-flops for a nice occasion. I will concede that the White House, even Bush's White House, is an important and somewhat formal destination that deserves a great deal of respect from those who visit. But what these girls did was not disrespectful. They believed that what they were wearing was nice and appropriate. Despite what some conservatives may think this was not some stunt orchestrated by the left as a way to thumb their noses at Bush.

What angers me more than ridiculous flip-flop argument is the fact that this team's achievement is being overshadowed by this ridiculous flip-flop argument. The Northwestern Women's Lacrosse program is only 4 years old and in that short time they managed to go undefeated and win the National Title. But unfortunately they are probably going to be more widely known as the flip-flop team.