Local Obama Ad Ties McCain To Abramoff (VIDEO)

In a negative spot running in Georgia, Barack Obama targets John McCain's connection to local scandalized Christian leader crony Ralph Reed. The ad implies McCain went easy on Reed in his investigation of the Jack Abramoff scandal:

The information uncovered by McCain's Indian Affairs Committee investigation helped Reed lose his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006. But McCain withheld a controversial email detailing how Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme.

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded by pivoting hastily to Bill Ayers:

"Barack Obama's ad is ridiculous. Because of John McCain, corruption was exposed and people like Jack Abramoff went to jail.

"However, if Barack Obama wants to have a discussion about truly questionable associations, let's start with his relationship with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, at whose home Obama's political career was reportedly launched. Mr. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group responsible for countless bombings against targets including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and numerous police stations, courthouses and banks. In recent years, Mr. Ayers has stated, 'I don't regret setting bombs ... I feel we didn't do enough.'

"The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama's relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?"

Ayers donated $200 to an Obama campaign in 2001, and they lived in the neighborhood. Whether McCain can make an ad out of this "relationship" remains to be seen.

Comments

[Deminwaiting]

Ayers was more than just a neighbor. Obama launched his ILL senate campaign at this guys house. Obama and Ayers sat on two boards together for many years and have had a relationship for many years.

[chiefeditor]

Audio from the ad is up here: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2315/McCain-Has-Ties-To-Abramoff

Will it work, though? Do people even still remember who Abramoff is or why he's a bad guy?

[vbwr1]

I sdon't understand the big deal about Bill Ayers. If Mr. Ayers is so bad, why are they letting him teach our children! Isn't he a professor now? Why not put the outrage where it belongs.

Bill Ayers, "Bad terrorist guy" who's always around America's brightest. Bill Ayers is an eveil man and will bomb the U.S., so let's give him a job teaching ur children who will grow up to be bombers as well.

[rollingdivision]

Panel Says Abramoff Laundered Tribal Funds
McCain Cites Possible Fraud by Lobbyist

By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, June 23, 2005; Page A01

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff used money from a Mississippi tribal client to set up bogus Christian anti-gambling groups and to fund pet projects including gear for a "sniper school" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to documents released yesterday by Senate investigators.

The revelations came in e-mails and testimony made public yesterday by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee at its third hearing on the activities of Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, a public relations executive and former spokesman for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).

The committee chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said investigators had uncovered possible mail and wire fraud that should be pursued by the Justice Department, as well as tax issues that would be of concern to the Internal Revenue Service. The Justice Department already is looking into more than $82 million in lobbying and public relations fees Abramoff and Scanlon received from tribes around the country.

[dawn2dusk]

Finally!!

Nothing wrong with a little kick-ass with a steel-toed truth-boot. LOL

sorry, that was intensely corny.

[HC4BO]

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[BabsfromKansas]

The CNN blog,
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/ is open for comments on this - spread the word!

[FebM]

McCains stands to get millions with his own tax plan, and he wants it permanent before he retires. Obama is ready to take a pay cut to give relief to working families, because he has been middle class all his life. Whose plan do you trust?

[itsafreakingame]

none of the above!

[realtalk]

This may end Obama's campaign. He will have to spend the rest if election explaining to people who Ayers is, and that he was 8years, a child, a not even living in this country when Ayers did what he did.

This may turn out to be a disaster, many people just tuning into the election are going to be shocked to hear about Ayers! This is going to be a disaster for Obama!!
This was going to be the October surprise, it has come early, and on a Friday, (right before Obama's, VP pick, this in NOT what Obama needed right now!!!
Ayers, an what he did whn Obama was a 8 year old child, living in Indonesia, has NOTHING to do with Obama!

Obama wanted to be discussing is VP pick this weekend, instead he will have alot fears arise about this Ayers garbage, and will have alot of questions to answer to ty to put out this fire.

This is the leading story on CNN, that's BAD!!!

[MargaretO]

Bush and McCain are bigger terrorists than Ayers could have ever dreamed of being.

[dawn2dusk]

your post is stupid

[Scarllatti]

McCain is an UNSTABLE MAN. He is a hot head who will set off a 3rd World war if selected. All young people who want to live to old age (like McCain) should be very very weary of this man. A word is enough for the wise.

[RabidRightRebel]

M cCain's most vulneable spot is attacks on his integrity and this ad does a great job of questioning the unjustifiable perception that he is a man of integrity. In 2000 McCain discovered that integrity has no place in Republican politics and has now thrown his under the bus in pursuit of the Office of President.

If highly questionable challenges to Obama's patriotism are justified, challenges to McCains integrity are absolutely fair game.

[Viper]

The University of Chicago where they were both professors... has secret records on the relationships between Professors... thats rich! Now when is some one in the press going to ask that question?????. Release them all.. Who cares!

Ayers was never even charged or indicted... Cant say that McCain did not get cited for ethics violations on Keating 5 or that Abramoff was not indicted...

It all happened when Obama was 12 and in Hawaii... Eh gads...

Ralph Reed , Abramoff and Mc Cain are now and involves their acts... not some one they knew 20 years after their misdoings.

Regards

[dawn2dusk]

I think we have hit a nerve. Who the f cares where Obama was when John was slime surfing? Really!

[optech007]

"Cant say that McCain did not get cited for ethics violations on Keating 5"

From the Senate Ethics Committee report: "Senator McCain's actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him." And, "Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate."

[lady49]

$200 contribution from a man who beloned to a group that was"pardoned" by former President Clinton.
vs

Jack Abramoff- lies, cheats, multiple scandals.....
2.6 million from oil lobbyists to keep us adddicted to oil.....
$250,000 donation from the lobbyist from Georgia serving on McCain's campaign....

I say BRING IT!!!!!

[305Rider]

Second that.

[ShamusNYC]

Hey JM - it wasn't the "Keating Four".

[valleygent]

Excellent commerical...now lets go back even further to McCain being one of the KEATING 5, SCANDAL, corruption and greedy political back room stuff at the EXPENSE OF THE TAXPAYERS OF AMERICA...all in McCains past...hammer it home for cripe sakes!!!

[barackobama4prez]

What about JMac's son recently stepping down from a failed bank? No one is even TOUCHING that scandal.

[Ajegunle]

BUNZAI! BUNZAI!! BUNZAI!!!

ATTACK HIM OBAMA,

ATTACK! ATTACK!! ATTACK!!!

[dawn2dusk]

you're sick ;- )

[Ajegunle]

ATTACK! ATTACK!! ATTACK!!!

BUNZAI!