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Leave it to Sarah Palin to rally her Republican troops with a racial assault on President Barack Obama 12 days before Election Day.

On Palin’s Facebook page Wednesday, she criticized the Obama administration for its handling of the Benghazi, Libya attack with a blog entitled: "Obama's Shuck and Jive Ends With Benghazi Lies."

"Why the lies? Why the cover up?" Palin writes. "Why the dissembling about the cause of the murder of our ambassador on the anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil? We deserve answers to this. President Obama's shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end."

Palin, who constantly borders on foolishness, has stooped to a new low: She’s introduced racism into a presidential campaign that’s so close in the polls that desperation finally got the best of her.

Palin and her fellow conservatives will say anything to oust Obama from the White House and that includes reminding Republicans that Obama is black.

The phrase “shuck and jive” is a longstanding racist connotation – and Plain knows it.

In the Dictionary of African-American Slang,’  ‘shuck and jive’ dates back to the 1870s and was an ‘originally southern 'Negro' expression for clowning, lying, pretense."

“Shucking and jiving” have long been words used as a negative assessment of African-Americans, along the lines of a “foot shufflin’

Negro,”  said Roland Martin, a CNN political analyst and a contributor on “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In fact, I don’t recall ever hearing the phrase used in reference to anyone white.”

I don’t either.

With a new poll by Time that shows Obama leading Mit Romney in Ohio by five points – 49% to 44% — Palin had to play the racial card hoping that conservatives will rally against America’s first black president. She couldn’t just criticize Obama strictly on policy, she had to go one step further: She had to lob the racial grenade.

But “Shuck and Jive” – Really?

Historically in close political contests, Republicans normally use some kind of code words to reach their conservative base, but this time Palin just went straight for the centuries-old “colored”  connotation to that is sure to resonate with the Glenn Beck crowd.

Rachel Maddow, the popular MSNBC television host, said Palin may be dumber than we think.

“It's quite possible that Palin just isn't informed enough to understand the phrase she used,” Maddow wrote in a blog Wednesday.

Perhaps. But I doubt it. I believe Palin’s language was deliberately racist — and just in time for early voting in 32 states this week.

Meanwhile, Obama, who traveled to four states in 24 hours, spoke to a capacity crowd in Denver and said he plans to vote in Chicago on Thursday.

“So we can vote early in Illinois just like you can vote early in Colorado,” Obama said.  “And I've come back to Colorado — and this may not be the last time you'll see me.  I've come to ask you for your vote.  I've come to ask you to help me keep moving America forward.”

I can’t believe there are still thousands –perhaps even millions – of undecided voters out there just 12 days before Election Day.

After all the debates, video ads,  newspaper endorsements and political strategists on cable television 24/7, what more could voters need to decide whether President Barack Obama or Republican Mitt Romney occupies the White House for the next four years?

So it’s no surprise that Palin, the former Alaska governor, resorted to shameful and racist political tactics to whip-up Republicans for Romney.

Two weeks before Election Day, Palin has given voters another harsh reminder that the so-called post-racial America under Obama is still just a pipe dream.