Great "Reporting" by the MSM

I really have to know -- is Post reporter Robin Givhan getting paid for this column? She apparently objects to John Bolton's grooming and wardrobe during his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...

John Bolton, President Bush's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, desperately needs a haircut. It does not have to be a $600 Sally Hershberger cut. Bolton simply needs the basics. Tidy the curling, unruly locks at the nape of his neck, tame the volume at the crown, reel in the wings flapping above his ears, and broker a compromise between his sand-colored mop and his snow-colored mustache.

He needs to do this, not because he should be minding the recommendations of men's fashion magazines or grooming experts but because when he settled in before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week to answer questions about his record, his philosophy and his intentions at the U.N., he looked as though he did not even have enough respect for the proceedings to bother combing his hair -- or, for that matter, straightening his tie, or wearing a shirt that did not put his neck in a chokehold. Bolton was one wrinkled suit away from being an insolent mess.

... Bolton embraces with a flourish all of the cliches that afflict so many men in Washington. During this testimony, his hand was constantly reaching up to adjust his no-frills glasses. His attire was not merely bland but careless. His hair was so poorly cut, it bordered on rude. Bolton might well argue that appearance has nothing to do with capabilities. But it certainly can be a measure of one's respect for the job.

If this is a joke, it's bad. If it's serious, it's even worse.

Hey, look, if I'm interviewing someone for an entry-level position, I'm expecting them to show up looking fancy. If I'm interviewing someone for a job where I need their experience to be a key part of the skillset, I think the appearance is somewhat secondary. Would Givhan have hired Einstein?