Spin Cycle

Yesterday, someone in McCain's crowd yelled "terrorist" when he asked "Who is the real Barack Obama." Today, Sarah Palin drew out the poison when she claimed Obama accused US troops of "air raiding villages and killing civilians" in Afghanistan.

"Treason," shouts a fired up member of her crowd. See video at left.

Now, you have to cut Sarah Palin a little slack, because she doesn't know that much. But the US, with limited troops, has had to use too much air power in Afghanistan for a long time. The result is civilian deaths. Bush has lamented it, Karzai has lamented it, everyone in touch with reality understands that it's a problem.

So Obama brought it up in a speech last year: "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there." It was, as AP said at the time, a true statement. At that point in 2007, Western forces had killed 286 Afghan civilians.

The GOP playbook, however, says that any criticism of military strategy -- who cares if it's true? -- will be treated as a slur on the troops. Shame! Dishonor! Unpatriotic!

Thus John McCain and Sarah Palin, putting country first, seek to bring us together.

"Terrorist."

"Treason."

Via TPM.