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

[LWilkinson315]

Once again it all goes back to The Google! LOL
This has to be THE worse campaign in history

[noamjunior]

MCCain showed his complete cowardice last night by refusing to repeat the vicious smears he has made against Obama to Obama'a face.

[Scarllatti]

Obama would have plucked out McCain's hairless brains had he tried that stupidity on stage. Bet me.
Yeah, you are right. A coward is someone who says stuff behind your back but is afraid of saying that in your face.
I heard that Sarah Pallin has a grade in back-stabbing in Alaska too. Takes two cowards to be on a losing ticket.

[Sammy00400]

Ahhhh.... so it's her board that hired a terrorist. Right?

[SandraM]

so McCain is endorsed by someone who "pals around" with terroists....

[k6007]

H3!! he picked one as his v.p.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/

AIP works with eyeran?!?

[WmC]

He's also been endorsed by known war criminals.

[HurryUp1212009]

I think Obama should create an ad, reprising McCain's association with John Singlaub and Charles Keating, AND HAVE IT NARRATED BY WILLIAM AYERS!!!

[utd]

I think he should walk William Ayers onto the set of the next debate and force McCain to say what he and his minion have been saying to the face of Obama, Ayers, and the American public. If McCain is half the man he says he is he'll at least speak his mind... whatever is left of it.

[ricitizen]

Not including last nights debate:
Barack Obama holds an 11-point lead over John McCain in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report, 52% to 41%. This is the Obama’s highest level of support to date, and also represents his largest lead of the campaign.
Americans don't like negative campaigning and most don't like S p a l i n g

[ArmyCentrist]

We ALL know why the polls are close. Close your eyes and envision if Obama was White...30% lead, maybe even more...fortunately, RFK already foretold that 40 years from the time he ran for President, race relations in America wouldn't be perfect, but they would be good enough to get a Black person in the White House. The great Kennedy spirit of service lives on...amen.

[margardner]

"Silly season" seems to be dragging on now with Palin at the helm.
Palin should apologize to the Annenburg Association for even dragging their name into this despicable topic. Not only did Obama along with Annenburg serve on this board, so did other Republican leaders.
Does that make them dangerous? Terrorists? Palin is going down the wrong road. She's the one that's dangerous to this country. We deserve better!

[moreupnorth]

So the answer to the guilt by association question has been in my pants all along, Depends!

[toochie50]

I cannot wait for this election to be over and our new President Obama in the White House - right now on limpaugh's website - he has a story comparing OJ simpson to Ayers - hmmmmmmmm...black guy/terrorist, black guy/terror­ist.....sa­y it over and over again dittoheads. I cannot wait for these types of mouthpieces like limpaugh, vannity, savage to be either kicked off the radio and teevee or have to have a "liberal" (ohhhh scary word) on their shows to debate for equal perspective according to the Fairness Doctrine which Mr. Obama will reinstate.

[ArmyCentrist]

I went to redstate.com just to get their perspective (shudderin­g)...never again...such a hateful website.

[dzymzlzy]

Unfortunately, even more mainstream sites, like ABC News, are are filled with vicious and hateful comments. Most of the comment threads have no tool to report abusive posts and they are apparently un-moderated. I contacted ABC about this and they have not responded to me.

[HST]

What, no "compassionate conservatives"?-LOL

[Heavy]

Keep running our country into the ground and conducting illegal wars repugs and there will be 150 million Bill Ayers running around this country. Get it?

[tedbear]

A "person" was on Fox last night and quoted the grant application for Chicago schools from Anneberg Foundation, which is a reputable foundation to my knowledge, saying the goal of the grant was to "racadilize" Chicago schools. I think someone needs to go on Fox and debate this because otherwise alot of Republicans will be going around under another misconception.

[IntelligenceIsBliss]

Why bother? The truth is irrelevant to those trolls. They only listen to slogans from their Fuhrer.

[fallsgonnakillya]

While I do try desperately not to think in those terms and make direct comparisons, I admit that I'm finding it increasingly difficult. Very scary to watch, frankly.

P.S. Love your screen name.

[Scarllatti]

Well, Fox is breading another generation of zombies. Who cares if all Republicans head down the drains? That will be my ultimate wish. Good riddance to a bad rubbish.

[k6007]

O should put republicans who've called this ridiculous on the 'news' shows.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/10/another-republican-clears-obam.php

[noamjunior]

people that get their news from fox have been proven to be dangerously misinformed about important current events.

[GoBarryGo]

He has nary a shred of credibility left at this point. No one believes a single syllable out of McCain's mouth at this point. He is a morally bankrupt, obsolete fraud.

[HurryUp1212009]

that makes the 91st percentile in which he's aligned with Bush... A liar and complete fraud, with no credibility left..

[moreupnorth]

I am on an NFP board of Directors. Outside of the other members names I have no idea who or what these people have done in their past. I don't even know most of their phone numbers and really don't want to. I just want to help the NFP do it's job.

If one of the others turned out to be not so nice well I would then disown them. What's the friggin point of all this mindless highschool nonsense?

I can't believe there are this many chidren dressed up as adults!

[Grunty1]

The point is that John McCain doesn't want to talk about the issues.