Who knew that when President Bush suggested Americans should go shopping as a gesture of patriotism, Sarah Palin would take it to Imelda Marcos proportions of “Give me liberty or give me Donna Karan!”

Perhaps it is not too late for the John McCain campaign to change its slogan to “Saks Fifth Avenue First!”

Let’s see if we have this straight.

We’re in the midst of the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression. Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, their life savings. People are scrimping by. Things are tough. Things are bad.

And in the middle of a presidential campaign, Republican John McCain, who has been preaching fiscal restraint, fiduciary responsibility, obviously approved a party expense of $150,000 to gussy up his running mate? A simple question. Are you nuts, senator?

To date, since McCain had the mother of all brain infarctions and selected “Gilligan’s Island’s” Ginger as his running mate the GOP has pent $150,000 in party faithful contributions in a sort of “What Not To Wear From Hell” to make over Sarah Palin’s wardrobe.

It’s probably not unreasonable to assume that when Palin was picked, somebody somewhere in the McCain camp said: “My Gawd, not only did John choose the Gidget of the NRA to be his running mate, but she has all the fashion sense of Ma Kettle. Get thee to Givenchy immediately!”

Sheesh, this is starting to make John Edwards’ $400 haircut look like a Rayhawk.

According to financial records obtained by Politico.com, Republican funds have been expended to buy Palin $49,425 in clothing from Saks, and an additional $75,000 in rags from Neiman-Marcus. This was hardly a Hockey Mom Wal-Mart moment.

As well another $44,716 has been spent on Palin’s hair and make-up. Wait a minute! They spent $44,716 on the Alaskan governor’s hair and make-up - and that was they best they do?

Good grief, the fashionista Stasi Mr. Blackwell, who just checked out to that “Devil Wears Prada” in the sky has to be spinning in his grave, thinking, “Why couldn’t I have held out for just a few more days?”

At the same time, the GOP ponied up another $5,000 for First Dude Todd Palin’s duds and another $295 in infant clothes. What? The governor never had a baby shower for her new tot?

Even if you are a well-to-do Republican, it has to be pretty galling to know contributions to the party were spent, not to advance the McCain presidential campaign, but to enhance the running-mate’s closet.

And yet, after all the money has been spent on sending Palin to Vogue school, the candidate still comes off looking like a 44-year-old woman trying to come off as a 24-year-old woman.

Please, please, please get rid the Fonzi leather jackets. Please do something with that hair, which looks like it was inspired by Lily Munster.

And especially please, stop being such flaming hypocrites.

It is awfully hard to being running around the country claiming you are a Joe Six-Pack kind of candidate when you are dressed to the nines.

It is awfully hard to be insisting how well you relate to Joe the Plumber when you are Versace the Pol.

And it is awfully hard to preach self-reliance and rugged individualism when you are accepting $150,000 worth of free - stuff.

What is truly amazing is it seems no one in the myopic McCain campaign could see how bad this looks, especially in the middle of a presidential run when the looming issue is a financial crisis crippling millions of American families.

Or perhaps, in the end, sadly, it’s not so amazing after all.