In Florida, Palin questions Obama's judgment
By JIM STRATTON
The Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ As stock markets slide, McCain and Obama talk economics
Debate's format may not be conducive to campaigns' sharpened attacks
Palin criticizes Obama's relationship with former radical Ayers
As stock markets slide, McCain and Obama talk economics
Palin steps up attacks on Obama
The self-described "hockey mom" from Alaska knows how to throw an elbow.
Since stepping onto the national stage, Gov. Sarah Palin has embraced the role of political heavy, thumping Sen. Barack Obama like a blue-collar brawler going after the other team's star.
As Palin ends a two-day swing through Florida Tuesday, look for her to amp up the criticism, pressing the argument that Obama is a risky - and potentially dangerous - choice to run the country.
Palin hammered that theme Monday in Clearwater and Fort Myers, questioning Obama's judgment and, seemingly, his patriotism. She was joined on the stump by Gov. Charlie Crist and Sens. Mel Martinez and Joe Lieberman.
"I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America as you and I do - as the greatest force for good in the world," Palin told a crowd of several thousand at Coachman Park in Clearwater.
Palin's comments came after she resurrected Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a university professor who, during the Vietnam era, was one of the founders of the radical group the Weather Underground. As a member, Ayers helped plan bombings of the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.
Obama, who was a child during the Vietnam War, has described Ayers as an acquaintance - someone he met as he made a name for himself in Chicago - not a good friend. The Associated Press called Palin's description of the relationship "exaggerated at best if not outright false."
But Palin continues to talk about Ayers as she and Republican presidential candidate John McCain try to stop a slide in the polls. Several surveys put Obama ahead nationally and in battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.
Obama has benefited from the focus on the Wall Street meltdown, and voters say they believe he is more capable of handling the nation's financial problems. In turn, McCain has sought to move away from the economy, to focus, instead, on Obama.
"Their campaign has to engage in these attacks to distract voters," said Obama spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh. "They can't afford to talk about the economy."
Veteran GOP strategist Jim Dornan said that's not entirely untrue. He said McCain has little choice but to target Obama because Election Day is so close and because McCain is hobbled by issues he can't control. McCain has been hurt, Dornan said, by fatigue over the war, a prevailing distrust of Republicans and an unpopular president.
"He needs to make this election about why Obama would be such a horrible choice for voters," Dornan said. "Yes, he needs to attack, or better yet, have surrogates like the Swift Boaters do it for him. He obviously doesn't like doing it and looks uncomfortable in a negative role."
Palin has displayed no such reservations, attacking Obama with a smile and front-porch manner that energizes GOP loyalists.
On Monday, she claimed Obama would raise taxes to pay for "almost a trillion dollars" in new government programs. She ignored several independent reviews that found Obama is actually proposing more middle-class tax relief than her running mate.
"The phoniest claim in a campaign that's been full of them is that Barack Obama's going to cut your taxes," Palin told the cheering crowd in Clearwater. "Think about it. He's built his whole career on doling out tax money."
That material plays well with GOP voters already skeptical of Obama. Adelle Blackman, for example, said she doesn't trust him. Like many in the Republican base, she's frightened by Internet rumors that Obama is a closet Muslim with ties to unfriendly countries in the Middle East. She's not swayed by numerous news stories dispelling the claims, saying the "mainstream media" is protecting Obama.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he was the Anti-Christ," said Blackman, a Tarpon Springs resident. "Really. I'm serious."
Though Palin has stumbled through network interviews and appeared out of her depth, the Alaska governor is fast becoming a Republican icon - an image the campaign is eager to burnish.
Minutes before Palin arrived Monday, an announcer told the waiting crowd to direct its attention to a bridge spanning the Intracoastal Waterway just west of Coachman Park. Organizers then cued up the theme to the movie "Rudy," greeting Palin's motorcade with its own soundtrack.
It was potent - if hokey - political theater, but David Johnson, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, said the campaign must back it up with a solid get-out-the-vote effort and an advertising blitz on state airwaves. The New York Times has reported that Obama has outspent McCain 5-1 in the last few weeks on television ads in Florida.
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