CD5: Erlandson calls moderate Muslim a "Hamas supporter"

The Strib reports on the CD5 candidates' positions on pulling out of Iraq. As you'd expect in that race, they all want to, but disagree on the details.

But a little "gem" in that article is buried near the end. AHS caught it:

Erlandson also accused Ellison of appearing recently with a supporter of the Palestinian group Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization. Erlandson's aide said he was referring to Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington D.C., who attended an Ellison fundraiser last Friday in the Twin Cities sponsored by a group of Muslim businessmen.

What the hell, Mike? CAIR's pretty damn far from Hamas. They're, pardon the phrasing, extreme moderates. This will not go over well at all (and it shouldn't). Erlandson's going to have to apologize for this one at some point, unless he wants to jump on the neocon hate-the-Muslim bandwagon, and I don't see that working for him.