You want a war?

It should be obvious now. John McCain is not interested in running an honorable campaign. If he were, Sarah Palin would not be on the ticket. The running mate is basically Roy Cohn in heels. Bear witness.

No ramp-up time was needed for Palin, fresh off last Thursday night’s debate. She hit the ground in Colorado and California, ’spittin’ fire’ as the folksy governor might say.

“Our opponent … is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country,” she said, referring to a co-founder of the 1960s-era Weather Underground, an organization the FBI labeled as a domestic terrorist group.

(snip)

In discussing Obama and Ayers, Palin cited the newspaper that the McCain-Palin campaign regards as a foe.

“I get to bring this up not to pick a fight, but it was there in the New York Times, so we are gonna talk about it,” she said. “Turns out one of Barack’s earliest supporters is a man who, according to the New York Times, and they are hardly ever wrong, was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that quote launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and US Capitol. Wow. These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes.”

Swift-boat

In an email to reporters, Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan condemned Palin’s remarks and included a listing of media outlets that dispute the charge of any meaningful relationship between the two men.

“Governor Palin’s comments, while offensive, are not surprising, given the McCain campaign’s statement this morning that they would be launching Swiftboat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation’s economic ills. In fact, the very newspaper story Governor Palin cited in hurling her shameless attack made clear that Senator Obama is not close to Bill Ayers, much less ‘pals,’ and that he has strongly condemned the despicable acts Ayers committed 40 years ago, when Obama was eight.”

What she just said is, "Obama is a terrorist loving traitor." And you know what? It's not just her. It's McCain. It's Steve Schmidt who = Karl Rove by way of American History X. No one goes this far off-message in a campaign. A gaffe will take you a few degrees away from what you're supposed to say. It won't take you this far onto the dark side unless you were already there.

And no, shaking your head and saying, "We're disappointed but not surprised," is not an adequate response. It's a start, but this is a threat and an opportunity.

Gunter glieben glauten .

Someone in Obama's broad social circle engaged in revolutionary violence forty years ago. Obama and Bill Ayers aren't thumb-texting BFFs, but whatever.

Another group is encouraging terrorism NOW and giving aid to McCain/Palin NOW. The Clarion Fund are no better than the Weather Underground were. They are savvy enough not to get convicted of anything themselves.

Obama has done pretty well playing it cool. Good for him. But the GOP's #2 pointperson is rallying their troops with the sleaziest brand of propaganda. For precedent's sake, someone needs to stick it back in their faces. Deliver us from evil.