McCain Ayers Ad Says "Terrorist Ayers Isn't The Issue"

Greg Sargent noted on Wednesday how the McCain campaign seems to want it both ways when it comes to using William Ayers as a campaign issue. After suggesting that it was "off the table" and that it couldn't compete with economic issues, the campaign has dispatched Sarah Palin to make repeated references to Ayers.

Now it appears, however, that the campaign is coming down firmly on the "pro" side of whether or not to use Ayers as an issue -- with the release of a 90-second ad titled, simply, "Ayers." Produced exclusively for the web, it appears designed to fight with the economic crisis for cable news coverage.

Somewhat humorously, the new web ad tries to make the case that "Ayers isn't the issue," but rather Obama's honesty in describing Ayers as someone from his neighborhood.

"When their relationship became an issue, Obama just responded, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood.'," the ad notes, before asking, incredulously: "That's it?"

At the spot's close, it repeats the charge that Obama has somehow only ever described Ayers as someone from his neighborhood. "When Obama just says, 'This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood.' Americans say, 'Where's the truth, Barack?'"

Well, as it happens, the "neighborhood" line was not all Obama said about Ayers at the time of the quote used in McCain's new ad. In response to a question from ABC News' George Stephanopolous, Obama described Ayers's past acts as "detestable" in almost the same breath.

Comments

[atciii]

Ronald Reagan supported the Annenburg Foundation, which Ayers and Obama were Board Members. So shouldnt McCain distance himself from Ronald Reagan?????

[siellis]

This ad calls the Annenburg Foundation a radical education group. The board is run by Repubs and had many Repubs on the board. Mrs. Annenburg has endorsed McCain. Shouldn't McCain denounce all of the Repubs who were on the board and refuse the endorsement of "terrorist sympathizer" Annenburg? This is a crock of mess!!

[Justsaynodeal]

I don't think anyone is attacking the Annenburg Foundation. The attack is against Bill Ayers, who was rewarded a grant of $50 million from that foundation. Ayers, whom 0bama hired to disperse those funds, even though he was only a neighbor. The point is 0bama has claimed he didn't know Bill Ayers except as a neighbor, and if that is true, why would Ayers hire 0bama to disperse $50 million to area groups. There is also some funds were to experiment with students ability to question the status quo. Normally that would be an admirable thing, except in this case, Bill Ayers has a reputation for wanting to start a revolution.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R6gcbC9Hz4

[PHM]

The Annenberg foundation's goal is the advancement of education. Obviously, you were not a recipient of its largesse.

[DeniseD]

Gee, why does anybody hire anyone? Usually it is because you are qulaified for the job. I personally have never been hired by a friend for any of my jobs. I have always been hired by a complete stranger that has interviewed me a couple of times.

[nellie]

v v

It absolutely is about the Annenberg Foundation. If no one is criticizing the Annenberg Foundation, who APPOINTED Ayres, then there's even less of a reason to criticize Obama who was also appointed and just happened to be on the same board. Annenberg is MORE responsible and MORE linked to Ayres since they selected him.

You've just blown up your own argument. Which shows how lame it is.

The rest of those lies you need to send back to Sean Hannity for a factcheck.

[TimeKoder13]

It felt soooooo empty, sooooo unsatisfying, soooooooo pathetic, I think it made my blood pressure go down. I guess when you know the truth, a lie just doesn't have any power or impact. So I guess we better all make sure that we spread the truth on this to everyone we know even if we think they already know the truth, tell'em again. GOBAMA/GOBIDEN '08

[Erfurt4]

If this was not an issue, then Obama would denounce Ayers, give back all of Ayers donations and apologize to the people that Ayers terrorized. This is what he did when Obama got caught doing deals with Rezko. It sure seems like Obama has received a lot of help through the years from crooks that sole money and hurt people. Is this the experience he is going to bring to the White House?

[jeplanet]

JohnMcCain is a spoiled brat, notorious for his violent temper and poor decision making skills. Is that who you want in the white|house?

[atciii]

or McCains association with criminals like Keating??
or his VP, Palin's unpatriotic support of AIP??

[rasthedestroyer]

your serious aren't you.. if i ask you for facts about your claim could you give them, or will you continue to hold on to your NoNSEnCE? please respond

[loria]

Ayers donated $200 in a state senate election years ago. Obama did denounce Ayers action (which happened when Obama was 8).

BTW, how do you feel about Todd Palin's membership in the Alaskan Independence Party? You know the group who's founder wanted to secede from the US and talked nothing but hate against the United States? The founder was murdered in 1993 when a deal for plastic explosives went bad. What do you think he planned on doing with those explosives? Todd terminated his membership in 2002 when Sarah ran for Lt. Govenor of Alaska. Still, Sarah sent a video to the AIP State Convention in June of this year. Is advocating for secession from the US treason? Because that is the goal of the AIP.

So, does Sarah Palin not sleep with her own husband who has recent ties to the Alaska Independence Party? IS that pallin' around with terrorists or do you see this as a patriotic activity? I want some answers from you hypocrits on the Right.

[Justsaynodeal]

How many state of Alaska buildings did they bomb?

[loria]

How do you explain Todd Palin's association with the Alaskan Independence Party?

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnypictures/ig/100-Funny-Pictures/Brokeback-Bush-and-McCain-.htm

[loria]

Sorry wrong link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/alaskan-independence-part_b_133261.html

[atciii]

Why does Sara Palin hate America so much??

[atciii]

Can we discuss Palin's HUSBAND being a card carrying member of the AIP, a seperatist group!! how UNPATRIOTIC can you get??????

ask Palin why she hates America so much???

[RebelCPA]

Senator McCain let's talk about character - how about we start with:

"Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery"
God


Barack Obama
One House
One Wife
My Vote

[Justsaynodeal]

If you took all the people out of the Federal government who have committed adultery, the halls of Congress wouldn't have a quorum.

[thestargazer]

McCain is so desperate!!
Is this the best he can do?

He should just announce a press conference and then come out in his old tight-a*s navy uniform, light his hair on fire and wrestle a bear and a reporter from the NYT. That would surely be more effective at bringing him better attention.

[whit4brains]

Anyone else get a chuckle when they discuss A.yers starting the "Peace School"? I can just see them fr.eaking out thinking they are raising the next generation of c.ommie libruls. LOL!

[Justsaynodeal]

The charge is he was creating revolutionaries, who symbolically admired Che.

[RedKnuckles]

Let's also remember that Barack Obama and Ayers were brought together when they served on a board dedicated to educational reform funded by Ronald Reagan supporter Walter Annenberg.

[SunshineDaydream]

his widow supports mcbush.

well, at least she did.

[Justsaynodeal]

That has nothing to do with the foundation and its grants!

[Justsaynodeal]

The truth is Ayers hired 0bama to disperse the $50 million dollars in the Annenberg grant.

[whit4brains]

I saw an poll on the Fox News website just two days ago asking if they thought the Ayers-Obama connection was important and should be discussed. 70% said no on FOX.

I can smell the desperation from these two coming thru my window. It stinks.

[jacqmac]

FOX doesn't CARE! They are now running an entire DAY'S worth of 'slants' on ACORN and--'voter registration fraud'. They had some guy on that was saying he registered to vote 15 times. No doubt he was PAID by Fox to say what he was saying. Also, FOX is rumoring that Obama's campaign paid a sum of money to some group that was part of ACORN's voter registration effort.
TRAVIS COUNTY-AUSTIN, TX. REGISTERED OVER 30,000 NEW VOTERS BETWEEN MAY and OCTOBER 6. And we're not even a 'battleground state'. Everybody in those states where the Repubs are 'investigating' alleged fraud needs to KEEP IT UP!! KEEP FIGHTING. GET THOSE VOTERS TO THE POLLS! GET OUT ON THE STREETS AND CALL ATTENTION TO EVERY SINGLE INTIMIDATION TACTIC that they throw at you! Republicans HATE MOVEMENTS!! AND THIS IS A MOVEMENT!!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Obama/Biden '08

[Candyx]

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN=COWARDS!!!

[LeawoodKansas]

That is the most despicable distortion of facts that I have ever heard in an ad.

I think the FBI should investigate McCain & Palin.

[Justsaynodeal]

Could it be that 0bama has distorted the facts?

[GaModerate]

Maybe McPalin will spend all of his 85 million running this one ad and then be out gas! I thought the ad was desperate and kinda funny. Did you hear the music and it is like pleasssssse america we are losing and we have nothing else. If you don't believe this, we are going to lose.

[SunshineDaydream]

i wish i could see it as funny.

[patianneb]

GOP..... Grotesque Old Predators

[Justsaynodeal]

Cutesy but trite!

[mirandawilde]

FOX News wouldn't let me post this comment (below) on their Forum that asks if the Obama/Ayers "connection" is relevant. Apparently, they don't like facts.

Also, I tried to call several McCain/Palin campaign offices to pass along the url to the cnn.com fact check on the topic- apparently, McCain and Palin don't have access to the facts?

My FOX rejected comment:
Obama HASN'T avoided questions about his relationship with Ayers. He's addressed it over and over. You are not getting the facts from McCain and Palin.
Here is a cnn.com FACT check about the Obama-Ayers connection:
http://tinyurl.com/4bztrx
And here is an excerpt from an LA Times article on that demonstrates that it is Sarah Palin's patriotism that you should be questioning rather than Obama's- Sarah Palin directly supported the AIP and her husband Todd was a member, while Obama served on a board, with a lot of other people prominent in Chicago education, with Bill Ayers 40 YEARS after he committed crimes.

"Over the years, Palin has actively courted the Alaska Independence Party, or AIP, an organization that supports Alaskan secession from the U.S. To be clear, we're not necessarily talking about friendly secession either: As the AIP's founder, Joe Vogler, told an interviewer in 1991: "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. ... And I won't be buried under their damn flag.""

url for that article:
http://tinyurl.com/6fdhud

[SunshineDaydream]

go, miranda!!

[USA1776]

This is fantastic for Democrats. Palin is a wedge between traditional conservatives and the religious right, their narrow-minded racist underbelly is showing and McCain is advertising 100% negative. I predict an Obama effect: unprecidented voter turn-out and behind the curtain moderates and life-long Republicans voting for Obama.