Pink Ties

What with the President's news conference this morning, there's a lot to discuss. Before getting to that, let's talk about Today.

First, wardrobe.


David Gregory was subbing this morning, and what was the chatty, nice guy Stretch wearing? A pink tie.

I'll be waiting for Robin Givhan to write an analysis of the significance of Gregory's tie. Remember when she wrote an entire column about Vice President Cheney's pink tie ?

She wrote:

It was intriguing to see Cheney in pink. He has never given the impression of being the sort of gentleman who would get involved with pastels, being neither a preppy nor a dandy nor a man willing to give five seconds' worth of thought to the topic of "style."

...Cheney's pink four-in-hand registered in the manner of pigtails on a gangsta rapper. In the parlance of hip-hop, the look is full of macho swagger and the not-so-subtle suggestion that even with the hairdo of a pre-adolescent girl, the rapper is still the toughest thing standing in the room. The incongruous sartorial flourish is a display of irony and confidence.

Whether he intended it to do so or not, Cheney's pink tie came across as a mocking nod to the culture's well-trod -- and often absurd -- path to forgiveness after a public debacle: Pass through the valley of silence. Turn right at the big pit of self-righteousness. Wallow in spotlit contrition. Be sure not to look sweaty and shifty-eyed on camera. ("Oprah" appearance optional.)

I wonder. Did Gregory's tie serve the same purpose? Was he mockingly asking the public for forgiveness?

I think the whole pink tie premise is absurd, but the libs seem to think it's a signal. Thus, I'll be eagerly anticipating Givhan's dissection of Gregory's neckwear.

In addition to wardrobe issues, Newsbusters comes through with a transcript of Laura Ingraham's smackdown of Gregory and James Carville. (Note: Carville also is partial to pink -- shirts, ties, and I suppose underwear.)

Laura easily took them both out, and got in a great swipe at Matt Lauer and the tired "Where In The World Is Matt Lauer?" Today sweeps tradition.

The pink tie didn't help soften or smooth out Gregory's prickliness. Neither did the perky Today setting.

Gregory's image as the snippy, whiny, over-bearing, self-important guy can't be transformed by a pink tie and a change of scenery. It will take a much more dramatic makeover, nothing short of a personality transplant.