Speaking early Saturday at a fundraiser in Englewood, Colorado, Palin told supporters Obama “is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”

Her comment referred to William Ayers, who supported Obama’s first run for public office in 1995.

The relationship between Obama and Ayers, a member of the radical 1960s group the Weathermen that committed bombings on the Pentagon and the Capitol, was highlighted in The New York Times Saturday.

Palin’s sharp jab is in step with recent Republican campaign statements that the McCain camp plans to launch a fierce assault on Obama with the presidential election only 30 days away.

The Obama campaign described the attack as “desperate and false.”