McCain Trumpets Endorsement From Figure Of Foundation That Established Ayers Board

On Wednesday morning, John McCain's campaign released a list of 100 former ambassadors endorsing the GOP presidential nominee.

Second on the list, though her name is misspelled, is Leonore Annenberg, currently the president and chairman of the Annenberg Foundation and widow of ambassador and philanthropist Walter Annenberg. Ms. Annenberg was herself the "chief of protocol" at the State Department under President Reagan.

If the last name sounds familiar, it's because it also graces the name of the Chicago education board where Barack Obama and William Ayers sat in the room six times together.

In recent days, the McCain-Palin ticket (and particularly Palin) has faulted Obama for having served on that board with Ayers, who was a founding member of the radical 60's Weather Underground group when Obama was in grade school.

Since then, however, Ayers has been rehabilitated in Chicago society, carving out a niche in education circles. As a former Republican representative in Illinois told NPR on Monday, smearing Obama for his board association with Ayers is "nonsensical."

"It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier ... It's ridiculous," Republican Rep. Diana Nelson said. "There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It's nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It's so silly."

Separate calls to the Pennsylvania and California offices of the Annenberg Foundation were not immediately returned Wednesday morning.

UPDATE: An Annenberg official called the Huffington Post back on Wednesday afternoon. "You wanted to speak to Ms. Annenberg? She's very elderly; she doesn't do press interviews."

Comments

[Icantbelieveher]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[sdslaw]

Ambassadors pay for their jobs, and the best ones just stay out of the consul's and FSO's way. It would figure that ambassadors would support McCain; they all have careers solely as a result of who they know or who their daddy is.
And McCain has far worse ties than Annenberg or Ayers. McCain picked a secessionist for his VP.

[toochie50]

o ha n ge l

Now that was cute... Rev Wright is Johnny's cousin.

[obamasOHangel]

;-)

[patianneb]

Blow, baby blow!

[kappa08]

oooopppps...Looks like the McJellyfish morphed again.

[rockyb26]

Who is asleep at the wheel in McPalin's campaign? Why would they include her name when they're attacking any and everyone that has ever associated with Ayers? Clearly she also associated with him and trusted him with a great deal of her money. I don't get it.

[AZTrueBlue]

This could all be somewhat neutralized if Obama's people informed the public through commercials, etc., just what The Annenberg Foundation (Challenge) is and who is the founding father of this organization.
WALTER ANNENBERG WAS ONE OF RONALD REAGAN'S CLOSEST FRIENDS!
Yeah, that Ronald Reagan. The patron saint of McCain's own Republican party.
Do people really think Ayer's would be involved, or even be allowed to be involved, in anything subversive under the Annenberg Foundation umbrella? NO!

[dutch163]

and the Reagans shunned mccain after what he did to his first wife

[iPolitics]

John McCain, Unpresidential. Honorless

[SeanHannity4Obama]

Mainstream media is not reporting the other side

[obamasOHangel]

Just figures. Everything they attempt to smear Barack for ends up having a foundation with them. Next we'll find out that Rev. Wright is a 3rd cousin through marriage of Johnny Macs.

[meede]

From what I have heard, Rev. Wright is conducting Bristol & Levi's wedding!!

[obamasOHangel]

LMAO

[AddictedToHope]

Nah, probably the witch-hunter priest.

[MawMaw4Obama]

ROFLMAO LOL LOL LOL

[Grunty1]

Wright's connection already came up when Hillary tried this hit job.

[TheKidd]

as the plot thickens...

[JScott]

Ohh 6 degrees of separation game, cool!