It's an interesting situation. Did he say it and mean it? Did he say it and not mean it as Palin smear, but rather in the traditional vein of business as usual? Or did he mean it as a Palin shot, but figured he'd get away with taking a "what? I've used that before Palin." stance.
Anyway you look at it, people will see it for what it really is - not enough experience to realize this was not a smart move no matter how it was meant.