New move by John McCain camp to keep Bill Ayers front and center

It was a widely noted surprise -- given the spotlight John McCain's campaign had put, starting last weekend, on the Barack Obama-Bill Ayers link -- that the name of the once on-the-lam radical was not dropped in Tuesday night's debate between the two presidential candidates.

But today, McCain strategists launched their latest effort to keep the matter alive. The Republican's political headquarters in Arlington, Va., released the following statement from John M. Murtagh:

When I was 9 years old the Weather Underground, the terrorist group founded by Barack Obama’s friend William Ayers, firebombed my house. Barack Obama has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Ayers by noting that he was only a child when Ayers was planting bombs at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. But Ayers has never apologized for his crimes, he has reveled in them, expressing regret only for the fact that he didn’t do more.

While Barack Obama once downplayed his relationship with Ayers, today his campaign took that deceit one step further. Barack Obama now denies he was even aware of his friend’s violent past when, in 1995, Ayers hosted a party launching Obama’s political career. Given Ayers’ celebrity status among the left, it’s difficult to believe. The question remains: what did Obama know, and when did he know it?

When did Obama learn the truth about his friend? Barack Obama helped Ayers promote his book in 1997, served on charitable boards with him through 2002, and regularly exchanged emails and phone calls with him through 2005. At what point did Barack Obama discover that his friend was an unrepentant terrorist?

And if he is so repulsed by the acts of terror committed by William Ayers, why did the relationship continue? Any honest accounting by Barack Obama will necessarily cast further doubt on his judgment and his fitness to serve as commander in chief.

Barack Obama may have been a child when William Ayers was plotting attacks against U.S. targets — but I was one of those targets. Barack Obama’s friend tried to kill my family.

The McCain release goes on to provide background, relating that in early 1970, Murtagh’s father "was a New York State Supreme Court justice presiding over the trial of the so-called 'Panther 21,' members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores.

Early on the morning of February 21, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at their home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. The same night, bombs were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn. ..."

We'll be surprised if Murtagh isn't featured soon in a McCain ad.

-- Don Frederick

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Comments

[safari]

Murtagh must be as stupid as McCain and the Keating 8 gang. I'm 75 years old and the first time I heard of Bill Ayers was when Palin opened her stupid mouth. And for that matter, how involved was Ayers with the Weathermen Underground? The guy must have turned his life around because, now, he is a college professor.

[Alec]

Obama's "outright lie" that Bill Ayres was just a "guy in the neighborhood" - unless Barry is very clueless. It has now been documented. Obama's senate campaign was started in unrepentant terrorist Ayres' living room. Obama endorsed a radical BOOK written by Ayres- to modify the juvenile justice system. To lessen sentences by the poor, downtrodden YOUTHS who commit murder, rape, robbery, drug trafficking and other crimes.
They served on the Boards of Woods Foundation and the Annenberg Challenge. Barry raised hundred of thousands of dollars for Ayres' radical (and failed) educational fund.
I believe that Ayres "picked" Obama- because he wanted to manipulate the system from the inside- and Obama was the tool to reach that goal.
Question: What do Obama and Osama have in common?
They both know people who bombed the Pentagon.
It's the company you keep, Barry- and your choice of mentors, friends and business associates raises a lot of questions about your judgement. Rev. G.D. America Wright, Tony Rezko, Frank Raines - the list is long.

As late as September 11th, 2001- your "guy" said "We Didn't do enough"- when speaking of the bombings of his Weather Underground days. And that was WAY after you first met this "guy" from Hyde Park. The American people are not stupid. And YES the McCain-Palin ticket SHOULD keep bringing this to the forefront- because the left-wing, liberal, Obama-mania media certainly is not.

[Frank J.]

Tuesday night, McCain had the chance to bring up the Ayers issue with Obama -- face to face. He declined to do so, which to me demonstrates either a lack of convinction in the importance of the crap his campaign is spewing or a lack of backbone, or both. If he doesn't have the courage to bring up an uncomfortable topic with a relatively friendly adversary in a non-hostile setting -- albeit on TV -- how could he possibly confront the likes of Putin over an issue of real substance?

[Richard Conley]

Obama-Ayers Controversy
Main article: Obama–Ayers controversy
Bill Ayers and Barack Obama at one time lived in the same neighborhood in the city of Chicago, and both had worked on education reform in the state of Illinois. The two met "at a luncheon meeting about school reform."[40] Obama was named to the Chicago Annenberg Project board to oversee the distribution of grants in Chicago. Later in 1995, Ayers hosted "a coffee" for "Mr. Obama's first run for office."[41] The two served on the board of a community anti-poverty group, the Woods Fund of Chicago, between 2000 and 2002, during which time the board met twelve times.[41] In April 2001, Ayers contributed $200 to Obama's re-election fund to the Illinois State Senate.[40] Since 2002, there has been little linking Obama and Ayers.[41] Obama says he has not visited Ayers during the presidential campaign. The senator said in September 2008 that he hadn't "seen him in a year-and-a-half."[42] In February 2008, Obama spokesman Bill Burton released a statement from the senator about the relationship between the two: "Senator Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous."[40] CNN's review of project records found nothing to suggest anything inappropriate in the non-profit projects in which the two men were involved.[43] Internal reviews by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time magazine, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and The New Republic "have said that their reporting doesn't support the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship" (the quotation is from the New York Times).[44]

[Raul X. Garcia]

Seems the more McCain try's to associate the word terrorist with Obama, the larger Obama's lead in the polls increases.

A special thanks to my Republican friends.

[juan]

As if we weren't all expecting this crap. I can't wait until the 527's start up. It will be funny to see the Obama camp come back with a little ditty of their own. It seems Palin's husband was a member of the Independence Party for 7 years. That party promoted the splitting of Alaska from the US as a separate country. Palin has quoted the leader of that party in her campaign for governor and praised the work the leaders of that party had been doing. The leader of that party states that he will do "whatever it takes" to make Alaska free. He's also a bit of a Nazi lover and doesn't mind attacking minorities. Let's see the excuses for that one.

[Republican Folly]

John, DO NOT under any circumstances discuss the economy. It is accepted that neither you or Sarah are as popular among the American people as Barak Obama so you MUST use deceptive tactics to divert the attention off the economic catastrophe that the Republican administration has created.

[P. Sanchez]

This is too much. Do the Republicans really think that Americans are so ignorant that they will believe a load of stuff like this? McCain is really reaching for straws and becoming very uncivilized in the process. His desperation is apparent. If he is this nasty now, who knows what would happen if he is elected. It's really inconceivable.

[Alessandro Machi]

Your team should avoid aligning with the Soros / Huffington Post / MSNBC / CNN / Time / Newsweek / Atlantic Monthly, ethically bankrupt media crowd.

I exposed MSNBC and their BI-POLAR debate coverage last night, even as you seem to be falling for their triteness. I guess you don't see through the ridiculousness of their coverage. Educate yourself and read real news opinion about how horrid MSNBC actually is.

http://alessandromachi.blogspot.com/2008/10/is-chris-matthews-bi-polar-you-decide.html

http://www.WALLSTREETCHANGE.com

By the way, my blogs are political, ahem and every bit as biased as the political blogs you list on the right margin.

[Josie]

If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.

If you are over 13 years of age and think this type of information has any legitimate value to offer in a presidential campaign, you need to grow up.

[Mike Miner]

Here's video of an interview with Bill Ayer's wife, Bernardine Dohrn.

http://urlzen.com/230

[Tom J]

I'm sorry for Murtagh and his family, I certainly don't think the bombing was justified in any possible way, but....

Why is he claiming, as fact, that the Weather Underground was responsible? It doesn't sound like something they'd do, quite honestly, as they were focused ons topping the Vietnam War. Murtagh's father was a judge, presiding over a Black Panter trial. Isn't it more likely a Black Panther would have set the bomb? As Murtagh said in his article (see link below) "Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family's life, there was never any doubt who was behind it."

Beyond that, he made that statement back in April of this year. This isn't something new, but a rerun. Which, of course, the whole Ayers thing is anyway, as far as his 'connection' with Obama.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/04/30/2008-04-30_barack_obama_pal_is_an_enemy_too.html

[steve rodriguez]

Hey Senator Obama who cares if you knew the anti-American domestic terrorist Bill Ayers 40 years ago or 2 years ago? You are also linked to your anti-American spiritual mentor Rev. Wright! Barrack please be careful who you hang-out with, didn't your mother and grandmother ever teach you that? Try to hang-out with people who love America and want the best for it, people who even wear a flag on their lapel or people who fly the stars and stripes over their house once in a while! Develop some love for this country and teach your wife Michelle to do the same!

[Marv Massive]

I'm so sick of hearing that Ayers said "on 9/11" that he was unrepentant about bombing the Pentagon. It was a quote in an article PUBLISHED on September 11th, 2001, and last time I checked newspaper stories are researched at some point BEFORE five or so hours after the paper is delivered.

Sean Hannity, every time he mentions the quote, mentions (truthfully) that the story was published on 9/11, assured that his listeners are stupid enough to take this to mean that on 9/11, Bill Ayers thought it was the best time to say "Hey let's hear it for Terrorism, huh?"

Of course those are Hannity's smart listeners, the rest think Ayers carried out 9/11 with help from Saddam Hussein, Saul Alinski, and MoveOn.org.

[nickmagoo]

Let's not forget the charity Ayers and Obama sat on a board for was run by the Annenbergs, HUGE McCain supporters...so follow the logic of some folks...I guess that now makes McCain a friend of supporters of terrorists? Who'd a thunk it?