Report: Obama, ex-radical Ayers not close

[susanbanks44]

CHICAGO, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Although Barack Obama has played down his ties to a former 1960s Chicago radical, the men have never been close, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Saturday.

Obama, the Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and Illinois senator, is being targeted by his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for allegedly close ties to William Ayers, 63, a co-founder in 1969 of the Weather Underground militant anti-war group.

But 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.


More:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/04/Report_Obama_ex-radical_Ayers_not_close/UPI-79661223146295/

[Adelante]

1. A timeline - they got nothing

1994 Obama joined board of Joyce Foundation

1995 Deborah Leff, then president of the Joyce Foundation, suggested to Patricia A. Graham of the Spencer Foundation and Adele Simmons of the MacArthur Foundation, that Obama would make a good board chairman. Ayers not present and had not suggested Obama, Leff said.

1995 Graham invited Obama to dinner and asked him to serve as chair of Chicago Annenberg Challenge foundation, a national school reform effort

March 1995 Obama became chairman of Chicago Annenberg Challenge

later 1995 Obama and Ayers met through the Chicago Annenberg Challenge; they attended six board meetings between 1995 and 2000, where both were in attendance, Obama as chairman, Ayers to brief members on school issues

1995 Ayers hosted a gathering at his town house three blocks from Obama’s home, at which State Senator Alice J. Palmer, who planned to run for Congress, introduced Obama

1997 Obama spoke positively of a book by Ayers he was reading, “A Kind and Just Parent: The Children of Juvenile Court,” to a Chicago Tribune reporter.

2000-2002 Obama and Ayers both served on the seven-member board of the Woods Fund charity; the board held 12 meetings in that time frame

2001 Ayers donated $200 to Obama’s Illinois State Senate re-election campaign

Based on the Times article of today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

[UTUSN]

2. K&R #1 for, Rate it Up!1 It's at a 3 (out of 5, for Excellent) n/t

[BearSquirrel2]

3. They cannot win the "guilt by association game" ...

These guys are desparate. They have no consistent message and they keep changing in hopes of finding something that will stick.

Remember, the Republicans probably possess the best polling as the probably KNOW approximately how many votes they are knocking out so they can weight their polls appropriately. They're SCARED!!!

[susanbanks44]

4. This is Plan D in their playbook

Plan A- The POW card didn't sway voters.

Plan B- The Sarah Palin 'Bullwinkle' luster wore off.

Plan C- 'The Maverick' didn't come through in the clutch on the bailout.

Plan D- All Republican candidates use these smear tactics to try and gain ground, dating back to Bush Sr. with Willie Horton. This years Horton is William Ayers.

[BearSquirrel2]

8. And Bush ...

And Bush now has ties to actual noted terrorist, Momar Khadafi. And his father had close ties to Saddam Hussein, as did Donald Rumsfeld.

The closer you are to power, the more shoulders of nasty people you rub.

Obama will condemn the actions of Ayers, state that he only served on a few boards with the man and that will be it. The 527s will bring up the Keating 5 and of course his association with the biggest terrorist of them all ... GW Bush.

[FLAprogressive]

5. And if McLame attacks him on this....

They need to use this NY Times article in ads...proving what everyone knows -- the Obama/Ayers connection really isn't there.

[kestrel91316]

6. So does McSam intend to claim that, because Obama and Ayers breathed

some of the same air, Obama is a bad person?

Ok. Sure. THAT will work.

[lamp_shade]

7. Twice so far today on TV I heard reporters reference to the "palling

around" statement and both times it was said with such "sarcasm" that I chuckled. This is soooo not going anyplace.

[hyzdufan]

9. In other news...sky blue, hell warm...

[Overseas]

10. How nice. Another fresh thread on Ayers to help Republicans promote their cause.

Isn't that nice. We're helping Republicans push the story. I've seen so many brand new threads on Ayers today. I'm sure they really appreciate our assistance.