This morning, Natasha highlighted Sarah Palin's comments at a North Carolina fundraiser yesterday in which she said that she loves visiting "pro-America" parts of the country.

Now we have a more complete report on the full context of her remarks from reporter Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post (via Sam Stein):

"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers -- "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."

Is it really wise for Sarah Palin to imply by extension that cities and especially suburbs are less pro-America than small towns? Most experts agree this election is going to be won or lost in those suburbs and the ex-urbs, which Palin is essentially calling anti-America, or at least less pro-America than small towns.

But make no mistake about true meaning behind her remarks. The pro-America parts of the country are where there are the fewest number of liberals. This is the Sean Hannity/Rush Limbaugh concept of competing ideologies where conservatives are pro-America and liberals are anti-America. It's a very black and white world for them, you see, and it's nothing less than an attack on the patriotism of every one of us who proudly self-identify as liberal.

In an e-mail to Eilperin, a Palin spokesperson tried to walk back the comments with, the credibility of which is strained at best.

In an e-mail, Palin spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt emphasized that the Alaska governor was not insulting D.C., she was merely highlighting the virtues of far-flung cities and towns across the nation.

"She was reinforcing the message that the best of our America isn't confined to our nation's capitol," Schmitt wrote.

Joe Biden took on Palin's comments today at a rally in New Mexico:

"It's disappointing, and I hope it's a slip of the tongue and she doesn't mean it, but she said it, it was reported she said that she likes to visit - quote - 'pro American' parts of the country," the Democratic vice-presidential nominee said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I, like your senator and governor, have been all over this great land. I've never been to a state, I've never been to a state that hasn't sent its sons and daughters to serve and die for this country."

"One of the reasons why Barack and I are running is that we know how damaging the politics of division that continues to be practiced by the McCain, how damaging this policy of division has been," continued Biden before the crowd of 2000, his voice rising with every word. "It's time to put this behind us. Folks, it is not a corny thing. It's real. We are one nation, under God, indivisible. We are all patriotic. We all love our country in every part of this country. And I'm tired. I am tired, tired, tired, tired of the implications about patriotism."

I'm going to a Biden rally just outside Las Vegas shortly and I hope he continues to bring this up and hit her harder on it. This idea that liberals are anti-American is so ingrained in the mindsets of ideological conservatives, we need to shed light on it and call them out.

Update [2008-10-17 19:31:42 by Todd Beeton]:Rep. Michelle Bachmann inadvertently confesses her belief in this connection between liberalism and anti-Americanism. Chris Matthews pounces on it.