Palin claimed Obama is close to Bill Ayers, a leader in the 1970s radical Weatherman group who is now a college teacher and activist in Chicago, The Denver Post reported. She said a campaign aide had suggested that "the gloves are off, the heels are on."

The Alaska governor met with Blue Star Mothers at a diner before her appearance at a breakfast fundraiser at Centennial Airport. The group brings together mothers of military service members.

At the fundraiser, Palin said she and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, view the United States as "a force for good in the world."

"Our opponent, though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," she said.

Ayers and Obama live in the same Chicago neighborhood and served together on a non-profit group's board for several years.

A Democratic spokesman called Palin's comments "offensive."