OBAMA TAKES A PIG AND A POKE AT PALIN

HOLY SOW!
OBAMA TAKES A PIG AND
A POKE AT PALIN
By GEOFF EARLE in Washington and CARL CAMPANILE in NY

Barack Obama stuck his foot in his mouth yesterday when he said "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig"- which the angry McCain campaign immediately denounced as an out-of-bounds attack on running mate Sarah Palin.

Obama delivered the line while campaigning in Lebanon, Va., tearing into his rivals for not representing real change.

"You know, you can put lipstick on a pig," Obama said, "but it's still a pig."

He added, "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called 'change.' It's still gonna stink after eight years."

Many in the Obama crowd cheered and leaped to their feet in delight - apparently taking the "pig" comment as a direct slam at Palin.

One of her most memorable lines during her vice-presidential acceptance speech at the GOP convention last week was the ad lib: "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." The line drew roars from the party faithful.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift, speaking on behalf of Republican nominee John McCain's presidential campaign, quickly called on Obama to apologize.

"It's disgraceful. Sen. Obama owes Gov. Palin an apology," Swift said.

"This is just the latest in a series of comments that females like me will find offensive . . . There's only one woman in the race. It's hard to think this was directed at anybody other than Gov. Palin."

New York Republican activist Georgette Mosbacher said Obama's pig remark was beyond the pale.

"It's stupid," Mosbacher told The Post. "It's an insult to all women, regardless of political party. Unbelievable. Of all the animals to use."

Former Staten Island GOP chairwoman Olga Igneri cried foul.

"This is particularly offensive coming from someone running for president," Igneri said. "That's a flip, snide, snotty remark. I'm sorry to hear he's getting down and dirty."

Obama's campaign spokesman insisted he wasn't referring to Palin with the line, calling it an old expression.

"Enough is enough. The McCain campaign's attack tonight is a pathetic attempt to play the gender card about the use of a common analogy - the same analogy that Senator McCain himself used about Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's health-care plan just last year," said Obama advisor Anita Dunn.

"This phony lecture on gender sensitivity is the height of cynicism and lays bare the increasingly dishonorable campaign John McCain has chosen to run."

Last year, McCain knocked down Clinton's latest health plan by comparing it to putting "lipstick on a pig."

Obama also used the phrase last year in the context of Iraq war strategy.

Obama's gaffe come as he has struggled with how to handle Palin since McCain made the surprising pick for his ticket.

Palin gave the McCain campaign new energy, evidenced by a jump in the polls, a surge in volunteers and big crowds.

Recent polls show the race to be a dead heat or give McCain a slight lead, while the Republicans have gained among white women and independents.

But after Obama first focused his attacks on McCain, in recent days, he and running mate Joe Biden have been ratcheting up their direct hits on Palin.

Obama has drawn laughs at his rallies by describing her as a "moose shooter," even as he assures his audience he is complimenting her for her background.

In Farmington Hills, Mich., a crowd booed on Monday when Obama first mentioned Palin's name and laughed when he said she had a compelling biography.

"Whatever," an audience member shouted, as Obama tried to continue.

And in Dayton, Ohio, yesterday, another Obama crowd cheered "No pit bulls! No pit bulls!" - a reference to Palin's joke.

geoff.earle@nypost.com