I am trying to put the kindest possible space around remarks made today by Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who told a crowd of supporters:

“We believe that the best of America is in the small towns that we get to visit, and in the wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard-working, very patriotic, very pro-America areas of this great nation…. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans.” (Biden lashes out at Palin’s ‘Pro-America’ comment - CNN.com, October 17 2008)

Palin has since back-tracked from her comment, I believe because the press and blogosphere seized upon and chewed the thing all day long. Left to her own devices, she would embrace ”her people,” reinforce their hatred of Obama, liberals and the media elite, then pat them on the back for being good patriots. 

I hate to be that cynical, but we do have a fairly large, powerful body of evidence that indicates Sarah Palin meant exactly what she said.

Because she said this in New Hampshire: “The people of New Hampshire went to the voting booth and turned the underdog into the victor. We’re going to take a maverick and a patriot of the Senate and we’re going to put him in the White House with your support.” (Peppy Sarah Palin wows the Granite State – Boston.com)

And she said this in West Chester, Ohio:

“We’ve really got to hand it to Joe,” Palin said. “Somehow he got Barack Obama to finally state his intentions in plain language — Senator Obama said he wants to spread the wealth and he wants government to take your money and decide how to best redistribute it.”

After the crowd booed the Obama reference, Palin said: “Joe suggested that sounded a little bit like socialism. Whatever you call it, I call it bad medicine for an ailing economy.” (Sarah Palin rips ACORN, defends Joe the Plumber – Boston.com, October 17 2008)

And widely reported was her statement that Obama doesn’t see America “the way you and I see America,” to wild cheers from the folks who attend her rallies. A statement, I might add, from which she has also backed away. (Palin: I know Obama loves America - CBS.com, October 17 2008)

Over and over again, Sarah Palin has attempted to smear Obama with exaggerated claims about his ties to a 1960s radical. She has relentlessly painted him and every one of his supporters as unpatriotic. But when pressed to elaborate on those comments, Palin backs firmly away and “explains” what she really meant.

So may I have your attention please?

Would the real Sarah Palin please stand up? We’re gonna have a problem here…