Photo: Jada Yuan; Getty Images (face)
Last night we spotted Tom Brokaw at the CNN Grill at the RNC with what we thought was a fairly odd choice for a respected, well-dressed television reporter and a gentleman of a certain age: a small, fire-red Patagonia backpack. Was it as shocking a fashion choice as Rachel Maddow’s skater shoes? No. As endearing? Yes. So we asked Brokaw what was up with his carrying the same accessory as a 14-year-old Wisconsin schoolgirl. “I’ve been carrying a backpack since, I don’t know, 1968,” he said, looking a little surprised that we’d asked. “It’s just easier” — than a briefcase, or a Sherpa, we assume — “I have my notebook in there, all of my pens,” he went on. “I stopped carrying a purse long before it was okay for men to carry them again.” Ha! Hello, NBC! This is a man who’s hip enough to reference the resurgence of murses. Just give him the permanent Meet the Press gig, already! Then sit back and watch his brave nods to Juno and Jamie Lynn Spears when he grills Sarah Palin.
