If Ayers is a terrorist, then McCain is an adulterer and I am a 6th grader.

Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune takes a look at every mention of Bill Ayers in his hometown paper during the 1990's and sees an interesting pattern; not everyone likes him but hardly anyone thinks his past is that big of a deal.

"Aside from Royko's "I still think he's a jerk" column in 1990, I found only two objections to Ayers' civic rehabilitation in the decade's news archives: a 1993 letter to the Tribune and a 1999 guest commentary.

If there were protests or organized efforts opposing Ayers, the papers didn't cover them.

If any of Mayor Richard M. Daley's feckless opponents tried to use his approval of Ayers as an issue in the 1990s, I can find no evidence of it.

And if any of the pillars of society who helped oversee the Chicago Annenberg Challenge education grants ever resigned or otherwise tried to distance themselves from Ayers, who played a key role in securing those grants, the available historical record is silent on the matter.

Revisionist history being promoted by Republican John McCain's presidential campaign is that Democrat Barack Obama "worked with terrorist Bill Ayers" when Obama chaired the Chicago Annenberg board, whose meetings Ayers attended, and served with him on another board.

And that it revealed a shocking lack of judgment when Obama allowed Ayers and Dohrn to host a meet-and-greet coffee for him when he was launching his political career in the mid-1990s.

Note the implicit present tense in this and other attacks on Obama. Not "former," not "one-time," but now:

"Ayers is a terrorist," as one commentator in this newspaper put it the other day, amplifying vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's charge that Obama is "palling around with terrorists."

Neither Ayers nor his wife was espousing or practicing terrorist acts in the 1990s when Obama met them. They haven't committed or advocated violent protest since the early 1970s.

If Ayers is a terrorist, then McCain is an adulterer and I am a 6th grader.

Perhaps history will one day judge harshly all of those who participated in educational reform efforts or other civic projects in which Ayers was involved. This will include former University of Illinois and Northwestern University presidents; top honchos at Ameritech, Continental Bank and the Field Museum; and even the former publisher of the Tribune."


If Ayers is a terrorist, then McCain is an adulterer and I am a 6th grader.

McCain + Keating = Thieves

Not true? Says whom?

Cindy McCain promotes alcoholism and drunkeness.
All liquor and beer distributors do.

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If Ayers is a terrorist, then McCain is an adulterer and I am a 6th grader.

No, what you are is a moron.

As he wrote in his own book, Fugitive Ways, Ayers bombed New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, the United States Capitol building in 1971, and The Pentagon in 1972. That's a terrorist. What a f*cking idiot this Eric Zorn is. Worse yet, are the idiots who read and believe him.

if it says liddy liddy liddy on the label, label, label
the brookings institute won't be stable, stable, stable

Thank god the christians of this nation don't believe in redemption narratives.

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The Jack Ryan question is a hotly debated one- I am of the school that by the time he dropped out, everyone knew Obama was a juggernaught and that's why no Illinois Republicans wanted to run against him.

papa, you are completely full of crap!

Mayor Daley has evolved Chicago from a cow town to a respected international city! When were you last here? This city is thriving with millions of visitors each year! He has transformed and beautified the Loop and countless of neighborhoods.

Best Sarah Palin Site of the week.

Lolare!

(who came up with that? i like that)

PJ - I'm surprised you're still not wrapped up in the Rezco lies.

"I don't think there has to be any proof of the fundraiser that Ayers and Dohrn threw in 1995. It's in the public record. "


I'm not asking you "what you think," I understand where the truth is and it is not in the statement "he and his friends launched obama's career in their living room."

What you are defending is a half-truth. That is not where and when he launched his "career." When will the McCain campaign learn that Clinton's playbook lost her the primary?

"Look at the low-lifes Bush and Cheney "pal around" with."

You don't have to look even that far. Look at McCain AND Palin. John McCain's closest "friends" have been shackled, his campaign is filled with lobbyists tied to some of the biggest state-funders of terrorists in the world. Palin's own husband is a successionist and she now aligns herself with the same people McCain does.

I think it's important to draw these connections and question them. Always, always, always follow the money. Frankly I would argue Obama has made much larger (scarier) connections since taking on this candicy which ARE even MORE questionable. It apparently comes with the territory and one can hope he will be diplomatic about it when he is inagurated.

The problem is the media and the American people are cool with sound bites and meaningless personal attacks. I want them to question these guys about connections to lobbying groups.

But when it comes to this "petty" stuff, by which I mean small time money and small time relationships Clinton VETTED Obama. If any of this had a basis in reality and held water Clinton would have destroyed the man. If there is anything to thank Clinton for besides registering Democrats it's this. She beat the crap out of him and he got up for the final round.

John McCain has clearly not learned a thing from all of this. Clinton saved McCain time and money and he is too stupid to see that. There is plenty to attack Obama on, either McCain is zoned out or his team is trying to sabotage him.

Updated On: 10/15/08 at 10:14 AM

Well it's not like McCain has a HUGE following. Last week the media wanted us to believe that a few angry people = racists, turns out they were probably hired and not that many people show up to his events.

I don't like to personify these people because I don't know them. But it seems there is a conflict with McCain and his handlers. Nobody seems to be actually flying this plane.

The nice thing about campaigns is we get to see how these people will lead. Obama has had about 2 years and he has done an incredible job managing quite possibly the biggest campaign effort in our history. McCain can't figure out if he's coming or going. I was reminded yesterday that McCain kinda happened into this election. If Romney would have left sooner we would probably be facing Huckabee which I think would be a real challenge.

ALL of them were Saudi Nationals.

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The Saudis LOVE McCain. He has a history of S&L and banks scandals. It's a sticky mess to sort through but understand this man has benefited directly from state-sponsors of terrorism.
Just a bit in Newsweek