Palin's comments came as the McCain campaign finds itself trailing in national and key battleground state polls, and after major newspapers reported that the McCain camp plans a major offensive on Obama's character and past associations.
...
But as the New York Times reported today, Obama was never "palling around" with Ayers. "A review of records of the schools project 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.'"
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/04/1492729.aspxPalin cited an article in Saturday's New York Times about Obama's relationship with Ayers, now 63. But that article concluded that "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.' "
Several other publications, including the Washington Post, Time magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and The National Review, have debunked the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/04/palin.obama/Palin's reference was to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the group the Weather Underground. Its members took credit for bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, during the Vietnam War era. Obama, who was a child when the group was active, has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities.
While it is known that Obama and Ayers live in the same Chicago neighborhood, served on a charity board together and had a fleeting political connection, it's a stretch of any reading of the public record to say the pair ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts.
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Summing up its findings, the Times wrote: "A review of records of the schools project 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.'"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_on_el_pr/palin_obamaObama, who was a child at the time, has in more recent years served on boards with Ayers, an education reformer now. And, while opponents have tried to suggest that Obama's association with the one-time radical is a problem, Obama and others have denounced the past activities of Ayers while praising his recent work.
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Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Obama live in Chicago's Hyde Park and served together on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based charity. Obama left the board in December 2002. Obama also served as the first chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school-reform group which Ayers founded.
The New York Times today reported on their relationship: ""A review of records of the schools project 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."'
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/palin_obamas_terrorist_pallin.htmlMs. Palin’s line of attack also comes on the heels (forgive us for that and we’ll get back to those spikes in a minute) of reports indicating that the McCain campaign may begin lobbing more negative critiques against the Democratic presidential nominee in the final month of this election cycle. Or as Ms. Palin put it today, a donor had suggested that she get tougher on her opponents: “And I turned to one of the staffers and said, ‘O.K. they’re serious!’ Jason the campaign staffer said, ‘O.K., let’s look at it this way, Sarah, the gloves are off, the heels are on, let’s get to work!’ ”
Would those be her blood-red heels? Just joking.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/palin-obama-is-palling-around-with-terrorists/While it is known that Obama and Ayers live in the same Chicago neighborhood, served on a charity board together and had a fleeting political connection, it's a stretch of any reading of the public record to say the pair ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5954920 Palin's sharp jab is in step with recent Republican campaign statements that the McCain camp plans to launch a fierce assault on Obama with the presidential election only 30 days away.
The Obama campaign described the attack as "desperate and false."
"Governor Palin's comments, while offensive, are not surprising, given the McCain campaign's statement this morning that they would be launching Swiftboat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation's economic ills," said Obama-Biden spokesman Hari Sevugan.
"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."
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUST_Cd-teed3bNVc_UK6ppGx6iwThe move comes amid growing panic in the McCain campaign and signs that Mr McCain’s closest aides do not believe he can win the race for the White House in a “fair fight”.
The Sunday Telegraph knows of at least three occasions in the past month when members of his inner circle have said they fear he is doomed. Voters have flocked to Mr Obama in the economic crisis, and Mr McCain has lost the lead in several key swing states that he must win if he is to have any chance of victory in November.
A former McCain strategist, familiar with the senator’s tactical discussions, told The Sunday Telegraph he would pursue the “nuclear option”, attacking Mr Obama personally in the campaign’s last four weeks.
He said: “We were doing well when this election was all about Obama. The last two weeks have been more about John and we need to shift the focus back. There are real questions for Obama to answer. Also, it’s the only way we win. It’s the nuclear option but votes are firming up. It’s now or never.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/sarahpalin/3137197/Sarah-Palin-Barack-Obama-palling-around-with-terrorists.htmlBut an investigation by the Times indicated that while Obama has purposely minimized his dealings with Ayers, now a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the men do not appear to have been close. Obama also has never expressed sympathy for the agenda of the Weathermen, who perpetrated a bombing campaign that killed a police officer, the newspaper reported.
Obama's contacts with Ayers mostly came in the latter's capacity as an activist for education reform in Chicago. Obama served on several of the same Chicago boards and organizations as Ayers, and traveled in the same political and social circles. But Obama never developed any personal ties with Ayers, the newspaper reported.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/04/Report_Obama_ex-radical_Ayers_not_close/UPI-79661223146295/
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