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

[runutz]

It's a very small world - those 6-7 steps.

[nikky]

WELL DOES THAT MEAN MCCAIN IS A TERRORIST

[ebanks84]

Ya betcha!

[TLV]

Uh, oh. He's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYFm5kK4f1k

[thenvoteObama]

Check out Palin's reaction. You can almost see the "oh S h ! t" bubble form over her head.

[glorysong]

Ha,Ha,Ha, Palin look stupid.

[dawnbc1]

LOL, you could use some MORE clarily yourself, John sidney III

[bigbluenat4]

Actually, I think he called it straight this time....We have ALL been prisoners in our own country under the bushco. admn.

[lagumbo]

You would think McCains' morons would have checked to see who else was in the room with OBAMA,
and Ayres.? Keep on hitting those pipes you marons.

[Tubalcain]

The difference is that we are reading this on a website and this is not all over the news. This is why Republicans are masters of spin, Democrats need to make their rebuttals simple and effective.

[Tubalcain]

Also they need to stop letting Republicans frame the discussion on issues. The moment you let someone frame the discussion your chance of winning becomes smaller. I believe this is the reason that its not a landslide.

[jannike]

True, why have Obama repeated that he didn't knew Ayers that well, instead of telling who else was there.

[Ironquill]

And Obama, I think, does not show all of his cards. He probably is a pretty good bridge player, why top a Jack with a King when you can play the Queen. This way he has his best ammunition for the last debate. keeps me on the edge of my seat.

[FlamingLibrul]

According to the neocons, this election is not about issues, but about character. Really? I think it's The Economy Stupid! (Thanks James Carville).
Also, don't bother replying to the repugs- they have their talking points taken straight out of Faux news/Hannity or Red State. They are continually enraged when the Real World intrudes on their paranoid delusions, proving them to be false, time and time again.

False and pathetically desperate I might add. This time, the rats are sinking WITH the ship.

[Ironquill]

Right, well said. Democrats sometimes think too much and miss the obvious. But how do you explain to Joe Sixpak what a board room is.

[BGDiNLV]

LIke I said 1 week ago HUFFPOS pro's.Just sit bacK and watch the ship sink itself. Did not take long at all.

[SeanHannity4Obama]

'very elderly! how did she sign up for mccain? she should provide written answers

[votethatone08]

Vote That One 08

There are a lot of people trying to make money of the THAT ONE comment.

If you want a t-shirt etc. then you can go here, they are donating all profits to the OBAMA campaign

http://www.cafepress.com/votethatone08

[littlenoodles]

John McCain thinks the American people are so imperfect that he's willing to pal around with theives who would rob their own people!!!

[AlaskasRevenge]

Vetting:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Broadly, vetting is a process of examination and evaluation. Specifically, vetting often refers to performing a background check on someone before offering them employment.

THE 2006 VETTING OF SARAH PALIN

***** The complete 63 page report *****
http://mudflats.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/palin-2006-vetting.pdf

She was never vetted for Vice President.

[RStone]

McCain is so out of touch.

He really needs to move on. He has lost this election!

http://www.boppoll.com

Bop McSame.

Obama 'o8

[taceva]

Great,now we Know who to get rid of on Jan 21,2009

[humbug]

As long as McCain is denouncing that commie Annenberg and his left wing family, he might also call Fact Check.com a subversive organization as well. Fact Check is sponsored by the Annenberg School of Journalism at the University of Pennsylvania. This would allow him to find a conspiracy at the root of all the information Fact Check has revealed about McCains public lies in this campaign.

[jukesgrrl]

McCain, Americans aren't listening. They're too busy working their second jobs.

[Okieborn]

What a very sad and ill man !!!

[jbeach]

He is really not looking well. I hope after Obama wins this campaign then McCain can have a nice long rest, and can reflect on what he's sold just to try and be president.

Facing what you've done is a painful price to pay to restore your integrity, but I hope and even expect he can find the will to do it.

[Mysticalsister]

I predict a dirt nap.

[afgail]

Restoring ones reputation is a long process. McCain probably will not live long enough to live this campaign down. He has ushered in the demise of a party that was already running on empty. May the Republican Party rest in peace. Poor Abe Lincoln, he must be turning over in his grave.