Racist Rally Strategy Rolls On

So, McCain took the high road today in his speech in Virginia, right?  Well, you wouldn't know it from these signs. (In contrast, did you catch how Obama dealt with the boo birds today in reaction to the crowd response to McCain's name?)

You could say the McCain camp shifted gears, but you could argue, as well, the racial attacks didn't get any uglier than this simply because McCain's appearance today lacked a townhall component.  These folks just don't get it, do they?  (And yes, I'm talking about McCain and Palin, who could shut this stuff down completely if the really wanted to.)

Update 9:29 PST:  In light of Jeffrey Feldman's piece yesterday at HuffPost -- and the shocking news from TIME that McCain's Virginia canvassers are being specifically trained to link Obama to terrorists and to Osama bin Ladin, this newswire photo from today's Virginia rally, far from innocent, is actually more like evidence. 

Just look at the uniformity of these signs and the look of intent of those holding them.  It would bear more investigation as to who these people are, but taking into consideration the photo accompanying the TIME story showing freshly painted blue-and-red lettered signs outside McCain's headquarters in Virginia (where Mr. Caffeine spent the morning, by the way), this demonstration -- and the perpetuation of last week's racist hate campaign at McCain rallies -- looks like an inside job.

(image: Chip SomodevillaAFP/Getty Images. October 13, 2008.  Virginia Beach Convention Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia)