Rage in the Town of Bethlehem

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Washington Sketch: Where's the Love?

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank and the washingtonpost.com's Akira Hakuta sketch a McCain/Palin campaign event in Bethlehem, Pa.

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It was a jarring juxtaposition: At one moment, those gathered were dancing, clapping and singing along to the polka; minutes later, they were enraged. This paradox called for a social-science experiment.

A Washington Post columnist created two hand-lettered signs -- one saying "MAINSTREAM MEDIA" and the other, "I NEED A HUG" -- then carried them among the McCain supporters. McCain, and particularly Palin, have railed in recent days about the failings of the mainstream media, and Platt picked up the theme Wednesday, telling the crowd about "vicious attacks from the media."

The result was reassuring. Most of the McCain supporters enjoyed the sight, and several of them offered hugs or handshakes. Some others used the opportunity to give polite voice to their displeasure with the media. Only a minority in the crowd turned ugly. "Put your hands around me, you'll spit your teeth out," said one gentleman. "Barack Osama -- he'll give you a hug," said another.

It was that last group, however, that seemed to be the target audience in the arena.

Even the opening prayer was politically charged. "O God, we are in a battle that is raging for the soul of this nation," the preacher said. "You, O God, have raised up Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin for such a time as this." The preacher went on: "Help them, O God, to strengthen our economy, to keep our taxes and spending low . . . and grant them the privilege of being elected the next president and vice president."

With such warm-up acts, little was left unsaid for the principals. Palin scolded Obama for "lecturing John McCain on the stakes of going to war" in the debate. "May I remind Senator Obama that Senator McCain served our nation in uniform for 22 years?"

The crowd liked McCain, but loved Palin. "You're a hottie!" a young man near the front called out to her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she answered with a smile.

McCain, up next, played his own attack dog. He said he wouldn't take lessons in telling the truth "from a Chicago politician." He then said Obama "abetted" corruption in the home-mortgage market. He said his rival "turned a blind eye" while the mortgage agencies "ran our economy into a ditch." He also suggested, without evidence, that Obama had arranged a congressional earmark in exchange for campaign funding. "Even the appearance of this kind of insider dealing disgusts Americans," the Republican said, concluding that his opponent is a "politician who has bought into everything that is wrong with Washington."

Audience members participated in the Obama critique by shouting words such as "liar!" and "socialist!"

"Who is the real Senator Obama?" McCain asked.

Unclear. But we do know his middle name is Hussein.