With the national press corps parachuting into Anchorage and conspiracy theories flying across cyberspace, the GOP has formed a coalition to stand-up for veep nominee Sarah Palin.

Among the 20 members of Palin’s national “Truth Squad” — all females — is U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican from Cape Girardeau.

“We will not allow those on the left and in the media to smear a woman who has always served her constituents with honor,” said former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift, another Squad member in a statement Tuesday. “We know the truth and are committed to ensuring it as well.”

As the Riverfront Times points out, bogus pictures like this one have been circulating the Internet such Palin joined the ticket.

Far more substantive, however, is a story on the front page of yesterday’s Washington Post that examined Palin’s travel expenses as governor of Alaska.

Earlier in the campaign, presidential nominee John McCain formed his own “Truth Squad” in an attempt to knock down stealth opposition in the primary.

McCain, perhaps more than most candidates, knows the damage viral political attacks can inflict — his 2000 bid for the presidential nominee was torpedoed by a smear campaign in South Carolina.