Sometime today, after the hangar doors at Bangor International Airport open at 8 a.m., a jet will descend into Maine’s 2nd District to deliver the most controversial figure of this presidential campaign: Gov. Sarah Palin.

Palin, the acid-witted Alaska governor and GOP vice-presidential candidate, can draw a crowd. Depending on personal politics, she either inspires or reviles. She is great fodder for satirists and statistic-gatherers.

But in recent weeks, as this critical election wanes, the spotlight has strayed from Palin. Those who surround her and presidential candidate Sen. John McCain at their rallies have siphoned attention.

And for all the wrong reasons.

At a rally in Clearwater, Fla., last week, a McCain-Palin supporter allegedly told an African-American cameraman to, “Sit down, boy!” Then, at a mention of Sen. Barack Obama, some other rogue in the crowd yelled, “Kill him!”

These situations were reported by the Washington Post on Oct. 7. Since then, they have been seized by pundits and commentators as evidence of the dangerous minds that are being motivated by McCain-Palin rhetoric.

These McCain-Palin people, many are now saying, are a savage breed.

Which brings us to today.

Gov. Palin, after a Maine visit last week by her husband Todd, will bring her message to the 2nd Congressional District, which is targeted for its electoral vote.

There will be cameras and microphones, a country music star, a whole lot of cheering and enthusiasm. In short, all of the features of a major political event – and the recipe for the past disasters.

Todd Palin, while in Presque Isle and Palmyra, declined to answer questions about the biggest issue of the day: a report from an Alaska ethics commission regarding his wife’s attempts to fire a state trooper.

So Gov. Palin, we expect, won’t answer any tough questions, either, in Bangor. The event is not about issues; it’s about inspiration. She’ll be there with her full complement of political catchphrases and zingers – most of them, by now, well-rehearsed and heard before.

So attention will be on us – the 2nd District – and how we respond to these prompts. The crowds that have come before have done us few favors through their embarrassing and small-minded statements.

We’re better than that. Maine voters see through the sparkle, straight to the substance. That’s our well-deserved reputation. We might be passionate about our choices, but we’re above the mudslinging.

A rally is a rally. It’s a chance to yell, scream, stomp and cheer. So have at it. Politics is theater, after all.

But do it right. Dump the unnecessary rage. The behavior of other McCain-Palin crowds has taken attention from where it belongs: on the candidates, their beliefs and the issues.

The Maine crowd should leave the spotlight on them.