'œWhether or not the country is ready to elect a woman president,' said Maureen Dowd in The New York Times, 'œit's definitely not ready for a metrosexual in chief.' That's why Democratic candidate John Edwards' long-shot presidential run may have come to an end last week, when financial disclosure forms revealed that he had paid $800 for two haircuts from a posh Beverly Hills stylist. Edwards, a handsome, blow-dried former trial lawyer, has been fighting off the 'œBreck Girl' label since the last election, and this decadent display of vanity only reinforces Edwards' reputation as a superficial lightweight. All week, bloggers gleefully linked to a YouTube video showing the candidate combing, spraying, and fluffing his hair for two straight minutes to the tune of 'œI Feel Pretty.'

So much for Edwards' attempt 'œto position himself as a populist champion of the middle and working classes,' said Adam Nagourney, also in the Times. The embarrassed candidate said the trims were never meant to be an official expense, and he promptly reimbursed his campaign out of his own well-lined pockets. 'œBut the reaction from voters suggest that it was not a matter of who paid for it; it was the simple fact of a $400 haircut.' Ordinary Americans want candidates they can relate to, said Robin Givhan in The Washington Post. 'œThat's what all the diner visits, rolled-up sleeves, and folksy talk' are for. Edwards' sin was reminding all those average Joes that when he's not campaigning, he's not like them at all. 'œA $400 haircut isn't folksy.'

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