Sarah Palin attacks over Barack Obama's link to a '60s radical

[UPDATE BELOW]

With exactly one month until election day, will Bill Ayers, the anti-Vietnam War radical who helped found a bomb-planting protest group, morph into what some observers earlier had predicted -- the Willie Horton of the 2008 presidential campaign?

Horton, for those too young to remember, was a felon who, while on a weekend furlough from prison in Massachusetts, committed a heinous crime in Maryland. It happened under Michael Dukakis' gubernatorial watch, and in the final months of his 1988 White House bid the case was effectively used against him by his GOP rivals.

With this year's race entering its final stretch -- and Barack Obama having staked out a solid lead in recent polling -- John McCain's campaign has sent out word it's really ready to play hard ball against Obama (and here we naively thought the game already had been rough).

Out of the gate, it looks like hammering home Obama's link to Ayers could be central to that strategy.

The matter first arose several months ago during the Democratic nomination battle, and the Obama campaign felt compelled to post a page on its website that depicted his association with Ayers as tenuous.

Today, in a front-page story, the New York Times took its crack at airing out the Ayers connection. Here's the key part of the piece:

A review of records ... and interviews with a dozen people who know both men, suggest that Mr. Obama, 47, has played down his contacts with Mr. Ayers, 63. But the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called “somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.”

Sarah Palin, campaigning in the Denver area, took that ball and ran with it.

The Times' Robin Abcarian relates that Palin, speaking at a fundraiser, used a wry reference to one of the well-publicized questions she faced recently from CBS' Katie Couric to broach the Ayers issue. Said the Republican vice presidential candidate:

There is a lot of interest, I guess, in what I read and what I’ve read lately. Well, I was reading my copy of today’s New York Times [audience boos] and I was interested to read about Barack’s friends from Chicago [audience cheers].

I get to bring this up not to pick a fight, but it was there in the New York Times, so we are gonna talk about it. Turns out one of Barack’s earliest supporters is a man who, according to the New York Times -- and they are hardly ever wrong [audience laughs] -- was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.' Wow. ...

Referring to Obama, she continued:

This is not a man who sees America as you see it and how I see America. We see America as the greatest force for good in this world. If we can be that beacon of light and hope for others who seek freedom and democracy and can live in a country that would allow intolerance in the equal rights that again our military men and women fight for and die for for all of us. Our opponent, though, is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country?

[UPDATE: Palin said much the same later in the day at a big rally in Carson, Calif. Abcarian reports that Palin signaled early in her remarks to an overflow crowd of more than 8,000 in the tennis stadium of Carson’s Home Depot Center that she would be going after Obama. “One of my campaign staff said as I was walking out here, ‘OK, the heels are on, the gloves are off,’ ” Palin said.]

Her comments in Colorado already had given the Associated Press the obvious lead for its story -- that she accused Obama of....

... "palling around with terrorists" as part of what the article characterized as a stepped-up effort to portray him "as unacceptable to American voters."

That effort can be expected to accelerate. And, most immediately, Ayers' name almost assuredly will surface in Obama's face-off with McCain in a town-hall setting this Tuesday.

Just as assuredly, the Obama campaign can be expected to use every means at its disposal to keep the spotlight on the issue that seems to have turned the election its way: the nation's economic turmoil.

Indeed, here's how Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan handled the reaction to Palin's Colorado comments:

Gov. Palin’s comments, while offensive, are not surprising, given the McCain campaign’s statement this morning that they would be launching Swift Boat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation’s economic ills. 

In fact, the very newspaper story Gov. Palin cited in hurling her shameless attack made clear that Sen. Obama is not close to Bill Ayers, much less "pals," and that he has strongly condemned the despicable acts Ayers committed 40 years ago, when Obama was 8.

What’s clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy.

The N.Y. Times' story, by the way, quickly got hit from both the left and the right.

At Daily Kos, it was lambasted as a cave-in by the paper to the conservative critics who never tire of carping about it.

At the National Review's site, it's dismissed as a whitewash job that serves Obama's purposes.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[Larry]

Let's recall Palin's association with the Alaskan political party that wants to secede from the Union.

Let's recall McCain's reprimand from the Senate for his role in the Keating Five Savings and Loan scandal.

Let's recall that people that live in glass houses should not throw stones.

[Jolly Johnson]

This is what a Republican campaign does when they can not compete with their opponents on the issues. They take something which happened when Obama was 8 years old and try to SMEAR him with it so somehow they can deceive the American voters into thinking Obama has done something wrong. More hogwash from the malarkey express.

[Mkoch]

Sad and desperate.

[Eldora]

Does this attack on Obama's association with the educator Ayers make McCain's Keating Five association fair game?

How about his ties to Cindy McCain's father, a convicted felon whose mob connection is well known in Arizona?

Cindy's company's lobbying to lower the drinking age and raise the blood-alcolhol level deemed safe for driving needs airing as well.

Then there's Palin's opposition to shorten bar hours in Wasilla's, the meth capital Alaska. We already know about charging the victims of rape for an evidence kit and her opposition to establishing a program to combat violence against women.

There is also a second ethics violation. While governor, Palin urged voters to vote no to a proposition mining gold mining that would pollute a salmon fishing after she had been warned by the ethics commission to change government's obvious bias against the proposition

Since Palin has exploited her family shamelessly, why not highlight her irresponsibility as a mother to allow her 16-year-old daughter to date a self-described "f***ing red neck rumored to have impregnated an eigth grade girl?

If Obama's casual association with a respected professor of education at the Univeristy of Chicago is to be Swift-Boated, why not?

[Sigmond]

One can only imagine the outcry from the left had McCain been associated with terrorist bombers such as Terry Nichols, Tim McVeigh, or Harvard grad Ted Kazinsky. But it's OK for Obama because it was a long time ago that Ayres was a terrorist bomber.

[ray reyns]

Pathetic little pit bull......a real high IQ approach...wow she reads the NY Times...and McCain is showing signs of castration. his pathetic attacks are symptomatic of a psychologically castrated man...someone that lacks a real feeling of having what it takes and compensates for that with bravado, attacks and viciousness...he is capricious, prone to rash decisions, run by his emotions, unstable and capable of violence....not to be trusted...a weak man under all the bluster. take a look...you can see it.

[lisa]

Obamas connection to Ayers has been proven false months ago...Palin needs to be explaining by she is trying to get out of her own troopergate scandal .....McCain Keating Five connection however is proven...

[Jane]

"Will Bill Ayers, the anti-Vietnam war radical who helped found a bomb-planting protest group, morph into what some observers earllier had predicted -- the Willie Horton of the 2008 presidential campaign? "

Oh yes indeed, if you in the press are stupid enough to bite at the bait. The mere fact that Sarah Palin made a provocative, and largely untrue, statement (see coverage in NY Times), does not mean that you have to give the Republicans the headlines that they are seeking. It just feeds the slime machine, and we'll spend the next weeks covered in more and more slime.

Stop dumbing down the campaign. Stop doing the bidding of the Republican Party. If Palin says something intelligent or new about McCain's policies, by all means, cover it. This isn't news, it's the tactics of desperation.

[PG]

Considering Palin's links to an Alaskan secessionist group, I think she should give a little more thought to her comments... http://tinyurl.com/4ccnt9

[crossroads]

Palin is not only a liar & of questionable intelligence, but now she's right at the sleeze level of McCain. One can only hope that when returned to Alaska she is found guilty of misuse of power, recalled from office, and spends the rest of her life in the backwoods brushing up on English & History. Whatcha think?

[Contessa]

Here goes Palin, desperate to make Obama-Biden look bad, when she was the one who did it herself. If anyone paid any attention to her rhetoric speech/statements during the V.P. debate, Palin copied many of George W.'s rhetoric from the 2000 V.P. debate- though she didn't have to site his name- she twisted the words to her benefit- Palin is very scary- I should know- I live in Alaska and am one of many thousand Alaskans who are not voting for her- Oh, I mean McCain- remember, Palin is the one who wants to expand the role of the V.P.- sounds awfully similar to Cheney. Please, not another 4 years....

[Johnny]

This once again goes to show that Palin's ability to read and comprehend what she has read, does not exist if it's longer than one sentence or the title. Below is a link to the article for anyone to read.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

[Rob]

Hey Don, when will you post your highly detailed research on ACORN and Obama's ties to that group? Never? Oh...

[beth]

What she has to say matters not to me....I agree this is just a ploy to take the heat off her and mccain on the economy...i am an independant voter and im voting democrat this time around. the republicans have messed up this nation in the last 8 years.If mrs palin wants to get down to the dirty deeds lets talk about how many republicans have been charged with fraud

[Dave]

The TRUE COLORS of Sarah Palin & John McCain are now being shown. They will only use the parts of a story that suit their truth-spinning agenda. Do you really want someone with this kind of character as President and Vice President?

[Lloyd Hunt]

O Dear, Sarah read her first newspaper …. and she read it incorrectly, recycling a story from a source which debunked the story DUH

For every skeleton in Obama’s meager innercity closet, there are a graveyard of bones in McCain’s massive middle east estates and Watergate break-in associate G. Gordon Liddy and Palin’s walk-in Alaskan separatist wardrobes.

If the Republicans go there against Obama, they will not only lose the election but it will completely end their political careers and their place in history

[Plain Jane]

It only goes to show how low she's willing to go. Add lack of ethics to the long list of lacks.

[Cal]

Wow she can read!

Who woulda' thunk it!?!?

[Mike]

What a nonsense comment! Obama is too long in politics alos he got CIA clearance! Spreading sch lies show how she is not ready to be VP ! Sarah please go home!

[Sharon]

This is so old!!! Dead issue!! Obama was small child when Ayers was part of Weather Underground, the terrorist group. This group was an anti-Vietnam War protest group. I live in California and FBI and that residing national president administration was declaring everyone a communist as a way to combat Vietnam War Protesters. Known as McCarthism!!

Ayers indicted. And Ayers was not convicted!!! Ayers went on to become respected college professor at University of Illinois. He presently is well known for his expertise on school reform and serves/ed on various boards/belonged to various groups. Political Fundraiser was result of Alice Palmer in Chicago when she was stepping down from office. She asked Ayers if he would have fundraiser at his house. They do not associate with each other except for any discussions they may hve had while they served on board together with a charity group. Any claims Ayers still feels same way is bogus!! Earlier some attempts were made to quote him out of context- Hilary claimed he still felt he needed to do more. Fact checked and is NOT TRUE!!

TELL PALIN SHE HAD BETTER WATCH OUT. SHE IS UNDER LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION AS GOVERNOR OF ALASKA FOR ABUSE OF POWER!! LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION IS TO BE COMPLETED NEXT WEEK. LEGISLATURE RECEIVED POSITIVE DECISION BY JUDGE TO CONTINUE HIS LAST THURSDAY, EMERGENCY APPEAL FILED BY MCCAIN-PALIN O STOP. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN TOTAL COVER-UP ATTEMPT BY MCCAIN-PALIN TOP ATTORNEY FROM BUSH ASSOCIATION IN WASHINGTON. .THIS IS WHAT SHE DID!! INVESTIGATION WAS STARTED LONG BEFORE SHE WAS CHOSEN AS GOVERNOR.

[jan]

I agree Ray. He picked Palin only because she turns him on. That's putting country first all right.

[Robert Norris]

I think it is time somebody investigated some of Senator Obama's connections. Bill Ayers is not the only questionable
contact he has had. The matter of his association and work for ACORN, as well as his questionable financing of his home should be reviewed.

If it is true that he has campaign staff members or advisors that have profited from the Freddiemac and Fannymae scandals, the public should know the details.

[rckstrdave]

McCain looks desperate. If he can confuse the old and the ignorant with false statements and pseudo patriotic references to WWII, combined with rigged voting machines from Premier Voting Solutions (formerly Diebold), he could really 'win' this election.

[Craig in Dallas, TX]

How is McCain administration going to effectively fight a War on Terrorists if they think Obama is a supporter of terrorism?

[evenakansan]

Palin is more pallitable when she's her normal, under-informed self. When she froths with this kind of lame vitriol, no matter the glint off her teeth, she seems more like a desperately rabid dog who smells only rotten meat yet still hopes to taste it.