he came up with the howler?

1) Does " he came up with the howler" mean "he made a stupid mistake"?
2) Does "daring leap" mean "brave self-propelled movement upwards or forwards"?

Context:

She says she erred in supporting George W. Bush in Iraq in 2003, though that hardly qualifies as a daring leap, especially as Iraq disintegrates in the very month of the publication of this book. She says she would not defect to Canada if Sarah Palin became president, another risk-free remark and no doubt a relief to immigration officials in Ottawa. Her best line comes at the expense of Putin, after he came up with the howler that she had prompted street demonstrations against him. She told the Russian president: “I can just see people in Moscow waking up and saying Hillary Clinton wants us to go demonstrate.’’ Nice one, that.