MCCAIN-PALIN CHALLENGE OBAMA’S TERRORIST TIES, DEMOCRAT RESPONDS WITH RED HERRING
You can tell a lot about a person based on the company they keep, especially candidates for public office. So it’s no wonder that the two presidential campaigns are lobbing character grenades back and forth over alleged associations to ill-reputed folks.
It started over the weekend when GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin began raising awareness about Democrat Barack Obama’s connection to domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, who founded the 1960s group “The Weather Underground” which declared war on America and bombed the Capitol, the Pentagon and police stations.
“I’m afraid [Obama] is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country,” Palin reiterated Monday at a campaign stop in Florida. But is her claim valid?
From Captain Ed Morrissey:
Obama worked as CEO of the project that Ayers helped found, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, for several years. Ayers served on the board at the same time. In an overlapping period, both men served for a few years on the Woods Fund, which notably granted $75,000 to Yasser Arafat’s associate, Rashid Khalidi, during that time.
Their paths didn’t cross “sporadically” [as was the claim in a recent New York Times story]. They worked on two projects together, political projects, for almost a decade in Chicago. That’s hardly “sporadic”; that’s a well-established working relationship, and certainly much more substantial than Obama’s description of Ayers as just another familiar face in the neighborhood. [...]
The issue has nothing to do with the quality of their friendship, if one exists (and there seems to be some evidence of one), but with the kind of work the two men did together. Ayers still agitates for the overthrow of the capitalist system, and his educational project was designed to create little charter schools for churning out radicals.
With an incredibly clear physical and ideological link to the leader of a domestic terrorist group finally grabbing national attention, how did Obama respond? By dragging out a red herring attack on Republican opponent John McCain.
The Obama campaign unveiled a 13-minute documentary into McCain’s involvement in the “Keating Five” investigation, a Congressional look into allegations of corruption by five senators (four Democrats and McCain) in the late 1980s.
McCain and fellow Sen. John Glenn were cleared of having acted improperly. Washington Attorney Robert Bennett — who served counsel for the four Democrats during the investigation — said McCain should have never been involved in the case and was only included to give the Democrats political cover.
“I investigated John McCain for a year and a half, at least, when I was special counsel to the Senate Ethics Committee in the Keating Five,” Bennett told FOX News in February. “And if there is one thing I am absolutely confident of, it is John McCain is an honest man. I recommended to the Senate Ethics Committee that he be cut out of the case, that there was no evidence against him.”
If you’re keeping score, that’s McCain, 1, Obama, 0, for the day. Let’s just hope it plays out that way in the media.
This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 3:02 pm and is filed under National news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Seriously, you don’t get paid for this, do you?
you ever read anything snead before you open the cornhole and drop a steaming pile on us because this really kicks your buddy barry’s ass. Homeboy be a terrorist get over it.
I’m sorry Snead, did you stop by to refute the facts of this post or just launch into the usual ad hominems?
Hmm… lets see… Bill Ayers was angry at the vietnam war when he was a kid and “proper” political action wasn’t stopping it so he tried some protests and blew up some symbols, then he grew up, turned himself in in 1980, and has since worked as an educator and promoter of education reform in Chicago. Obama interacted with him in Chicago in the context of education reform for the city, not in the context of “dumb stuff you did when you were a kid.” Yeah he’s still a communist, and wrong, but we don’t yet live in a society where disagreement is a crime.
The Woods Fund is a philanthropy which focuses on reducing poverty. I suppose an assosciate of yasser arafat might be a little connected to the grinding poverty present in palistine? If the woods fund were sympathetic to terrorism it wouldn’t currently have executives from companies like BP and UBS sitting on it’s board.
McCain was good friends with Keating, recieved $112,000 in campaign donations from him, invested $359,000 in a shoping center run by Keating, and went on several vacations with him. He participated in the meetings with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board on the behalf of Keating, and only stopped when he learned that this wasn’t ordinary regulation tinkering but that Keating was being criminally investigated. McCain didn’t behave criminally, but he sure showed some terrible judgement.
Next time you cry about ad hominem, Adam, make sure you started the conversation with words that didn’t come out of your butt, or from McCain’s talking points; though I do concede it is difficult to know the difference between the two.
I’m going to agree with Bill A here- McCain was clearly in bed with Keating. While Obama may certainly have looked to Ayers as some sort of revolutionary/role model in his later days, at least he wasn’t taking his money.
Refute what facts?
If Bill Ayers is such a threat to the community he must be the slickest terrorist other than Osama Bin Laden. (You do remember Osama Bin Laden, right?) I mean, it’s amazing to me that such a terrifying terrorist runs free. I’m visiting Chicago this weekend, should I take explosives protection gear? Rent a bomb sniffing dog?
No, this is just another sad little attempt in a long line of sad little attempts. It’s a funny thing about domestic terrorism, only the losers get stuck with that label. Things could have gone a different route and he’d be considered a patriot. But I know that’s high-level thinking for you.
I stopped by to ask if you really get paid to write these blog posts. Because if you do, that’s awesome. If you don’t, well, you’re very passionate about your cheerleading. Keep spreading the vile.
Yeah, he’s a terrorist and I’m a traitor for supporting him, right?
Idiots like you and my buddy Jim Causey just keep feeding the fire. Keep it up and we’ll see you in November.
Yes, let’s talk connections….
“According to a March 1989 Washington Post article, the USCWF coordinated funding efforts with sources in Taiwan and South Korea to help contras in Nicaragua purchase some $5 million worth of arms. The group was charged with operating a plane that was shot down while flying supplies to these very same rebels. The council, according to a 1986 New York Times report, “provided $10 million to $25 million in cash and ‘in-kind’ aid: four to eight small aircraft (”non gun-mounted”) to the contras, boots to rebels fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan, $20,000 in medicines to Cambodian resistance forces, and help for groups in Mozambique, Ethiopia and other countries.” Singlaub and the council also reportedly provided Neo Hom and other factions of the Lao resistance with aid in the form of clothing and medicine - aid that the group subsequently turned into a scheme to raise fund from refugees.
The McCain campaign, in a statement to Politico, defended the efforts of the council. Brian Rogers, a spokesman, said that the Senator “disassociated himself” from the group “when questions were raised about its activities, but that in no way diminishes his leadership role in ensuring that the forces of democracy and freedom prevailed in Central America.”
But Singlaub “does not recall any McCain resignation in 1984 or May 1986,” the Associated Press reported early Tuesday, “nor does Joyce Downey, who oversaw the group’s day-to-day activities.”
Moreover, while the goal of confronting communism may be politically defensible, the methods that the group pursued elicited heavy complaint. In January 1987, Sen. Patrick Leahy criticized Singlaub and, by extension, the Reagan administration, for directly circumventing the will of Congress, which had cut off funds to paramilitary organizations like the contras.
‘The open courting of General Singlaub and his groups,” said Leahy, “I’ve never seen anything like it. The active fund-raising among wealthy people to back these programs - I think it’s unprecedented… There seems to be more and more of a feeling that, ‘Gee, we really want to do something to help the contras, but don’t tell me what you’re doing because I’m not supposed to know.’”
The funders of the U.S World Council of Freedom read like a who’s who list of prominent conservative figures. Joe Coors, the Republican Beer baron was reportedly a big donor. Time Magazine wrote that the Christian Broadcasting Network was a backer as well. The Washington Times newspaper, owned by the controversial Reverend Sun Myung Moon, started a fundraising drive of its own. And Moon himself had numerous ties to Singlaub.
Through it all, McCain was a member. As reported by Politico, the council formally approached him during his run for elected office in 1982 and McCain, then a member of the House of Representatives, agreed to join, citing years later the organization’s commitment to a freedom agenda. “They’ve got some good people involved,” he said. Aides to his campaign said he resigned from the board of directors in 1984. But in 1985, McCain attended the group’s “Freedom Fighter of the Year” award ceremony in Washington. And as late as July 1986, the organization’s communications firm sent a letter with McCain’s name on it regarding Singlaub’s appearance at a conference “of nearly 40 countries… taking part in an annual observance to commemorate efforts on behalf of freedom throughout the world.”
By then, the council’s activities were becoming well known. In a 60 Minutes segment aired in ‘86, Singlaub was described as the President’s “secret weapon to sidestep a Congress that will not permit him to act in the areas where he believes that our security interests are at stake.” He did not contest the description.”
BillA: “… political action wasn’t stopping it so he tried some protests and blew up some symbols…”
Did you seriously just downplay the fact that he bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and police stations?
Snead: “If Bill Ayers is such a threat to the community…”
HE BOMBED THE F***ING PENTAGON, CAPITOL AND POLICE STATIONS.
AdiosJuan: “While Obama may certainly have looked to Ayers as some sort of revolutionary/role model…”
I rest my case.
Dear Captain Capitalization In Lieu Of Something That Isn’t Incredibly Obvious,
Why can’t you just answer a question?
If Ayers is so scary, why is he a free man? If he is the evil terrorist you want to paint him as, why did he apologize to his victims and express remorse that people were hurt? If there is such a strong connection between the two men, where is the evidence?
You’re a joke, this campaign is a joke. If you want to strike fear in the hearts of Americans, you’re going to have to do better than this.
But all I want to know is if you get paid for this garbage. Because I’m starting to get really jealous.
Barack Obama exchanged words with Bill Ayers.
John McCain exchanged money with Charles Keating.
Talking to people who are wrong, or who have made mistakes, isn’t itself wrong; we still talk to you Adam.
Talking to people and then accepting money and perks from them when you know they want you to give a little something in regulation influence is a bit more wrong.
Snead — On Sept. 11, 2001 (ironically), Ayers said, “I don’t regret setting bombs, I feel we didn’t do enough.” Sure doesn’t sound very “remorseful” to me.
And I can’t answer your question because you altered my premise to fit your own needs. “If Ayers is so scary, why is he a free man?” assumes that I at some point implied Ayers was scary. What I said was, Ayers bombed the Pentagon, Capitol and police stations and FOLLOWING THAT, Obama worked with him on several political projects. (BTW, your argument is logically flawed because you assume that free men can’t be scary and visa-versa).
BillA — All I can say to you is that McCain was cleared of all wrongdoing. Usually when that happens, that’s the end of the story. How would like to be accused of a crime, acquitted, and then have folks run around calling you a criminal?
OJ Simpson was “cleared” of murder in his first criminal trial. Does that mean we should have left him perfectly alone all of these years? Obviously not.
In that sense, McCain might have been “cleared” of any wrongdoing but just because a toilet doesn’t smell like crap, it doesn’t mean there was never any in there. It’s about judgment and associating yourself with decent and honorable people. The situation stinks. Regardless of whether you agree with Obama’s associations or not, McCain screwed up by getting in bed with these people. It’s fair political game.
Thus it was that in 2001, just before the September 11th attacks, Elrod accepted an invitation to dinner with two of the onetime leaders of Weatherman-Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. At a restaurant in downtown Chicago, Elrod and his wife listened as the two former radicals, now long married, with a family of their own, apologized for the heartache and suffering Elrod endured as a result of that day. The pair made it clear that they did not believe Flanagan caused Elrod’s injuries, and that they were not disavowing their militant beliefs. Still, “they were remorseful,” Elrod says. “They said, ‘We’re sorry that things turned out this way.’”
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2006/Sudden-Impact/index.php?cp=3&si=2#artanc
It’s a waste of time, really. But I’d still like to know if you get paid for this. Sorry if that alters your premise.
AdiosJuan/FairyTale/DeadHead: “OJ Simpson was ‘cleared’ of murder in his first criminal trial. Does that mean we should have left him perfectly alone all of these years?”
On that particular murder charge, absolutely. Other charges should be judged on their merit.
McCain was cleared in the Keating Five case, end of story. If there’s another charge separate from that, then by all accounts, bring it on for consideration.
“It’s about judgment and associating yourself with decent and honorable people.”
I’m glad to see you agree. Read the first eight paragraphs above.
Adam; nobody hear is arguing that Ayers is a good guy. The point is that interacting with obama on philanthropy projects 36 years after Ayers did bad stuff doesn’t transfer badness to obama. That thread doesn’t carry any weight and it displays pretty clearly that McCain’s campaign is grasping at straws.
On the other side of the coin, it seems I need to repeat myself:
“McCain didn’t behave criminally, but he sure showed some terrible judgement.”
The man himself even agrees with me:
“The appearance of it was wrong. It’s a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators, because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do.” -John McCain
Just because a decision isn’t illegal doesn’t make it a good decision. And decision making ability is at least a small part of qualification for president.
“Barack Obama exchanged words with Bill Ayers.
John McCain exchanged money with Charles Keating.”
Hilarious to watch you people tie yourselves in knots trying to convince yourselves that “Ayers is good…..Keating is bad.” Funny stuff.
You are aware that Obama launched his political career in the home of Bill Ayers…? That Ayers in 2001 said they “didn’t do enough”? That Ayers accepted gifts from the North Vietnamese….? And wasn’t McCain cleared of wrongdoing….? Tell me - yes or no?
But, no, that doesn’t matter. Obama’s relationships with the likes of Ayers and Wright don’t matter. Who are we to question a presidential candidate’s clear ties to a domestic terrorist (still unrepentant) and an american-hating, race-baiting “preacher”?