It doesn’t need defending. People use metaphors like this all the time in politics, and a graphic representation of “targeting” an opponent’s district is rather mild.
I think it’s stupid for any of Palin’s people to describe them as anything other than cross-hairs. Defending it makes it sounds like it’s something that needs defense.
If I were her PR mouthpiece, (there’s a scary thought) any time it was brought up I’d say it was the printed equivalent of Obama saying “If they bring a knife, We’ll bring a gun”.
My simple point is that it was stupid imagery and was so called then...the naked truth of this is borne out by the fact of this very thread and those like it.