Today the Obama presidential campaign sent out a marketing piece about, well, a marketing piece.

The Obama camp sent an email to its list containing a a picture of a Republican direct mail piece strongly suggesting a link between Obama and terrorism. The Obama email asks supporters to donate $25 to combat the marketing.

The email, with the subject line “Truly vile,” reads: “The Republican National Committee is distributing a mail piece that says ‘Terrorists’ on the front and opens to a big picture of Barack saying ‘Not Who You Think He Is’. John McCain — who promised to run a respectful campaign — said that he was ‘absolutely’ proud of it.  Will you take a look at the mailing and make a donation of $25 or more to push back?”

The email links to an image of the mailer and a form to donate.

The email picks up on a thread articulated by Colin Powell when he endorsed Obama on Meet the Press a few days ago. Powell expressed annoyance at the linking of Obama to terrorism in “robo-calls” (another form of marketing) in battleground states.