Palin repeats claim that Obama 'pals around with terrorists'

John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin today repeated claims that Barack Obama is friends with a terrorist and represents the wrong type of change for America.

The attacks came as the McCain campaign tried to change the subject of the presidential race from the troubled US economy which has been disastrous for the Republicans in recent weeks.

Mrs Palin continued her attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee after a weekend in which she has repeatedly said Mr Obama sees America as so imperfect "that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country".

The accusations relate to the 47-year-old Illinois senator's association with 1960s radical Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground whose members were blamed for several bombings when Mr Obama was a child.

Mr Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities and there is no evidence they "pal around".

But speaking about Mr Obama at a rally in Clearwater in the battleground state of Florida today, Mrs Palin said: "I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, has nothing to do with the kind of change that anyone can believe in: not my kids, not for your kids.

"What we believe in is what Ronald Reagan believed in, and that is that America is an exceptional nation.

"I'm just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way that you and I see America: as the greatest source for good in this world."

Her comments were slightly toned down from her incendiary remarks at the weekend, when she strongly suggested the two men were friends and referred to an alleged association between Mr Obama and terrorists plural.

Both Ayers and Mr Obama served on the board of the same Chicago charity and live near each other in Chicago. Ayers also held a meet-the-candidate event at his home for Mr Obama when the Democrat first ran for office in the mid-1990s, the event cited by Mrs Palin.

The attacks come after McCain adviser Greg Strimple predicted "a very aggressive last 30 days" of the campaign in a recent conference call with reporters.

"We are looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr Obama's aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for Americans," he said.

The economic crisis, which has dominated the presidential race in recent weeks, has seen Mr McCain plummet in the polls and Mr Obama gain a clear lead, especially in battleground states such as Florida.

Bill Burton, Mr Obama's spokesman, told CNN: "Every day we see a new false attack from the McCain campaign.

"It may be easy for the McCain campaign to not talk about the economic crisis, but it's something real that's happening in people's lives.

"Throughout the end of this campaign we're going to keep talking about the economy and make sure that voters know the real choice here when it comes to who can be a strong leader in this time of economic peril for the middle class.

"I think you're going to see our campaign continue to make the contrast with Senator McCain's campaign as to who's the better leader when it comes to the economy.

"Are there issues that relate to that that we think speak to Senator McCain and his past and his plans for the future? Sure.

"We just want to make sure that voters know the facts and are armed with the truth when they're making the decision as to who would be the best person to be the steward for our economy going forward."

The Obama campaign also released a television advert that said Mr McCain was "erratic in a crisis" and "out of touch on the economy", playing upon the 72-year-old Arizona senator's stumbling response to the US financial crisis and shifting positions as Congress and the White House worked out a 700 billion dollar (£397bn) rescue plan.

The Democrats also brought up Mr McCain's connections to Charles Keating, a convicted savings and loan owner whose actions two decades ago triggered a Senate ethics investigation that involved Mr McCain as one of the "Keating Five".

Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said Mr McCain's involvement with Keating was "a window into McCain's economic past, present and future".

A short video, e-mailed to millions of Mr Obama's supporters, summarised a 13-minute "documentary" on the Obama campaign website.

Five senators helped Keating in his bid to keep federal regulators from taking action against him for questionable business practices.

The Senate ethics committee found Mr McCain broke no laws, but he acknowledged bad judgment in attending two meetings with regulators and Senate colleagues on Keating's behalf and has called it "the worst mistake of my life".