I wish I could tell you this was a Style section story. It wasn’t. It was filed under Politics, in the New York Times.

“White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code.”

The President has taken off his jacket in the Oval Office.

Keep in mind, I have no issue with mixing politics and fashion. Meet me by the water cooler to talk about Michelle Obama’s inauguration dress later, okay? In fact, I would have HAPPILY dug into one of Bill Cunningham audio slide shows where he stalks women’s shoes in Washington. Although, I’m sure he could never bring himself to leave the world of Louboutin and Manolo for Aerosole and Easy Spirit.

Sigh.

I’m getting distracted. Back to the issue at hand. The problem is when the fashion pieces get filed as news. Separate departments, folks: Style and Politics.

We’re supposed to believe, however, we’ve entered the Era of the Great Political Unbuttoning. (Sounds kinda sexy, doesn’t it?) It even carried the declarative WASHINGTON dateline, to tell you that, you know, this is important WASHINGTON business. This is the sort of hard hitting coverage of the presidency that the public demands.

WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

Of course, as reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg instructs, we’re supposed to read between the lines the relaxed dress code is indicative of a subtle culture shift. As opposed to the big, hit you-in-the-face culture shift happening where the government loots taxpayers for $825 billion.

Priorities, people.