Obama surrogates get tough with Palin

Surrogates for Democratic nominee Barack Obama focused their fire on Sarah Palin Sunday morning after some Democrats questioned whether Obama’s campaign had been too soft with the self-described hockey mom.

They challenged Palin’s foreign policy experience as well as her claim to be a longtime opponent of federal earmarks.

{mosads}“Sarah Palin has taken more in federal earmarks per person than any governor in the history of the planet. She asked — while John McCain was making fun of DNA earmarks for bears, she was asking for a DNA earmark for seals,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a surrogate for Obama (D-Ill.), during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who joined Obama’s team of media surrogates in June, criticized Palin’s grasp of foreign policy on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Democratic strategists had feared a backlash if Obama’s campaign was seen as bullying Palin, the governor of Alaska who became an instant national celebrity when Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tapped her as his vice presidential running mate.  The Obama campaign first tried to ignore Palin, and focus almost exclusively on McCain, but polling showing that Palin has given the GOP ticket a big boost, especially among white women, has undermined that strategy.

Several Democratic lawmakers told The Hill last week that Obama’s campaign needed to get tougher with Palin.

“Claire McCaskill conveniently forgets the fact that Barack Obama has asked for almost $1 billion worth of earmarks in a very short tenure in the Senate,” said Carly Fiorina, a senior adviser to McCain, on ABC’s “This Week.”

Democrats have also focused on Palin’s claimed opposition to federal funding for the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere,” a major infrastructure project that would have linked Ketchikan International Airport to mainland Alaska.

Democrats argue that Palin has distorted her record and have questioned the honesty of McCain’s campaign in general.

“She took the money for the Bridge to Nowhere,” said McCaskill. “She hired lobbyists to get earmarks.”

“You know, honor is talked about a lot in this campaign,” McCaskill added. “Honor comes with honesty. And you've got to be honest about the facts. Sarah Palin has been an earmark queen in Alaska.  That's the facts.”

Former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles (D) also challenged Palin over the infamous bridge during an appearance on Fox News.

“But there are serious questions about the stand that [Gov.] Palin has taken on so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," which she's always supported and which actually she still continues to support,” he said.

Alaska Lieutenant Gov. Sean Parnell defended Palin on the program by arguing that she supported the bridge at a time when it was projected to cost less.

“When she got to be governor and found out that it became a $400 million bridge, she said, ‘No, not going to do that,’” he said.