Even as the lazy dog days of August approach us in D.C., there’s an awful lot going on in this city — the Plame investigation, an announcement about a Supreme Court Justice nominee this evening, even the aftermath of Borf. And yet one issue seems to remain more divisive and turbulent than all the rest: the seemingly small matter of what one wears on one’s feet in certain situations. Yup, we’re talking about the flip-flop.

DCist readers heatedly commented on the choice of casual footwear in an earlier thread, and now the women’s lacrosse team of Northwestern has caused a stir. Several of its members recently wore flip-flops (with dresses or skirts) when the team met President Bush at the White House for a congratulatory visit. Their choice of footwear has created an uproar in some parts — the Chicago Tribune even featured a front page article about the matter. Instead of being congratulated for going 21-0 in their season, the flip-flop wearers were the objects of etiquette scorn. “Don’t even ask me about the flip-flops,” the mother of player Aly Josephs said in one interview. “It mortified me.”

Frankly, we can’t understand why people seem willing to murder over the question of when and where to wear flip-flops (though, confidentially, wearing them to the White House does seem a tad foolish), but all this humidity will do strange things to your brain. In any case, the players plan to auction off their White House flip-flops — and give the proceeds to a ten-year-old girl with a brain tumor.