[French fête, from Old French feste; see feast.]The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
There must have been a typo.
You might remember this, from 2008 (Washington Post) [emphasis added]:
On top of the $150,000 first outlined in Federal Election Commission filings, Palin spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on additional clothing, makeup and jewelry for herself and her family, including $40,000 in luxury goods for her husband, Todd, our colleague Michael Shear reports. The campaign was charged for silk boxer shorts, spray tanners and 13 suitcases to carry all the designer clothes, according to two GOP insiders.
…
The campaign previously said the used clothing would be auctioned off for charity; the L.A. Times reports that a Republican National Committee lawyer is headed to Alaska to inventory and retrieve the items still in her possession….
Given the lingerie, boxer shorts, pantyhose, brassieres, et al that were included, and presumably sent to the RNC to be “donated to charity”* there is very little doubt that Ms. Palin and her family were, in fact, feted with undies by the RNC, the McCain campaign, et al.
[* Contrary to popular mythology, you can, technically, donate used socks, underwear, etc. provided they are in “good condition,” as the IRS began clamping down on the practice in 2007. See # 3. IRS IS CLAMPING DOWN ON OVERVALUED SOCKS.]
That’s presuming that they were not — as seems likely — simply left with the Palins, for obvious pragmatic reasons. No one, to my knowledge, has ever asked, and, if so, no answer was forthcoming.
Tonight, in Iowa, the Sarah Palin “friendly” documentary film is being premiered in Iowa, according to the Christian Science Monitor:
Is it too late for Sarah Palin to run for president?
Sarah Palin has folks all atwitter with her visit to Iowa to attend the premier of a documentary film about her. Amid the mystery over her bus tour, is an announcement in the works?
By Peter Grier, Staff writer / June 28, 2011
Sarah Palin’s trip to Iowa on Tuesday to attend the premiere of a documentary about her, “The Undefeated,” has sparked a predictable frenzy among the chattering class. Will the ex-Alaska governor finally declare herself a candidate for president?
Well, maybe that will happen. “The Undefeated” is a pretty positive film, depicting Ms. Palin as a bipartisan problem-solver. A surprise kickoff announcement after the screening of what is in essence a campaign bio flick would be a dramatic way for Palin to get into the race.
[…]
and yet mystery still swirls around the Wasilla Wunderkind. Will she? Won’t she? Are her supporters getting tired of waiting, and turning to Michele Bachmann?
So, I guess it must be a typo. They meant “Undie Feted.” This kind of stuff slips through art departments all the time*.
[* See “I Bet You Think This Blog Is About You, Don’t You? Don’t You?” 7 MAY 2011.]
And, if it weren’t, perhaps Wikipedia could be emended again — as Michelle Bachmann fans seem to have emended the “John Quincy Adams” page following a mischaracterization of Junior as a “founding father.” (The early June “Revere Warned the British” controversy seems a distant memory now, and it isn’t even July yet.)
In this political season, George Washington better watch his ass.
Courage.
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A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog His Vorpal Sword. This is cross-posted from his blog.
A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog, His Vorpal Sword (no spaces) dot com.