Aide: McCain Likely To Confront Obama Over Ayers At Next Debate

On Monday afternoon, John McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds offered a quick preview of the third and final presidential debate this Wednesday at Hofstra University.

After being asked by a Fox News host whether the lack of any mention of William Ayers during today's speeches from McCain and Palin meant that "the gloves [are] going back on" after a week of tough attacks, Bounds rejected the idea.

"I don't think so at all... If you see some of the advertising coming from the RNC today, which we stand behind, and some of advertising that we'll see going forward," Bounds said, hinting at another onslaught of Ayers material still to come.

When asked if McCain plans to "go after" Obama on these topics this Wednesday, Bounds added: "So much of a debate is determined by the moderator and the questions that are posed to the candidates. I expect it could come up and I expect John McCain will ask Barack Obama to speak truthfully about his relationship with friend and unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. I think that voters deserve to know, deserve to vet these candidates to the fullest extent... Certainly, Bill Ayers raises questions. Certainly, Tony Rezko raises questions."

If it is McCain's intention to raise the issue of Ayers -- with or without moderator Bob Schieffer's prompting -- it would serve as something of an answered prayer to many of the Arizonan's town hall attendees, one of whom even begged McCain to bring on the character attacks in the last presidential debate of the season.

Comments

[johnnygoodwud]

bring it mc fudd, but be prepared for a big ole 'O' smackdown

[badfluffy]

Yes please!!! Bring it up and O will smack him back down with Keating and G.Gordon

[all4peace]

Ethics issues? Unethical company?
How 'bout a simple Palin Baby Palin button!

[devinsbuddy]

Don't forget the USCWF and, since Michelle was mentioned in the same breath as Ayers, let's talk about Cindy's drug thefts, shady land deals, etc.

[tenilla]

I hope McCain does bring up Ayers. And I pray to God that Barack Obama asks if Walter Annenberg,
champion and financial backer of Ronald Reagan, was a terrorist. And if the University of Illinois
is a terrorist organization. And then I hope he reads a list of all the [Republican, mostly] members
of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge board members and asks if they are terrorists.

[nocturnalkid]

If he does bring up Ayers, what will Obama say in response?

Obama/Biden 08!

[nellie]

He'll say the same thing he's been saying for months.

[thecanadian]

Ayers FACT Check. Obama was 8 years Old!!!
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/he_lied_about_bill_ayers.html
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/790/

William Ayers FUNDED BY Republicans.
http://www.republicansforobama.org/?q=node/3027

[NeoLiberal]

If McC brings up Ayers, then

I think BHO should respond like this:

"You know, yes he was contemplating some horrible things when I was 8 years old, but my grandmother and mother always taught me in matters like these, that mine was not to judge. That is our Lord's job. I know that Sen. McC would agree with me that our Lord is full of forgiveness and mercy and that we should follow His guidance and counsel. Humans are God's creations. We are sinners and need that forgiveness. I am confident that Sen. McC and his followers believe the same."

Skam dunk.

[Ethics101]

Do not agree.
Separation of Church and State.
What part don't you understand?

[honeydiva]

that is one dumb a^^ campaign. He wants to fight and he's telegraphing it? *eye roll*

[Enuf]

The Ayers connection has been brought up time and time again and each time Obama has answered regarding his association. The FACT is that the bombing took place when Obama was EIGHT years old so I really don't see the connection. Also, the fact that he served on an education committee with Mr. Ayers does NOT make them BFF's.....­...get a clue, America! All that is left for the McSame campaign is to throw mud and this is coming from the FIRST presidential-vp ticket EVER in America to have BOTH candidates (McCain and Palin) guilty of ethics violations. Before they start accusing others of shady connections they had better check their closets for skeletons!!

[AERO]

McCain flips a coin every 12 hours to decide if he's going to play good cop or bad cop.

[nellie]

That is going to be one uncomfortable and embarrassing moment for all involved.

It would be wonderful if this miserable negative campaign warned off future politicians from dishonest smear tactics, but unfortunately, this is one aspect of politics that never seems to go away..

[bluekatz]

When your campaign has no substance and you are running out of h*te dialogue you conjure up the familiar. Remember the old lady that said she heard Obama was an Ar*b well old road map said she got a letter with alot of h*te about Obama and the old paper believed every word of it and that is why she made the comment. See McCain appeals to the ret*rd*d and the shadow puppets. How can someone talk about something when he has no clue what he is talking about? If he brings up Ayers he might as well hang it up on debate night. He flips so much on his script you don't know whether he is doing Saturday Nite Live or Mad TV.

[POTUS2008]

McCain would be a fool to bring this up in a debate and give Obama the Opening to make McCain eat his words by simply stating the truth on this, and perhaps bring up any of the probably numerous people with transgressions with whom McCain has a working relationship just to show how contrived McCain is being. I welcome it, just like the idiotic attempt to say Obama didn't support funding the troops, when Obama simply laid out the truth on this during the debate it made McCain look like a stupid and untrustworthy person. Obama is the master of counter-arguments, and at this pint i imagine republicans are urging McCain to be respectable and not take down the whole party name with his slash and burn tactics.

[averygard]

I sure hope if McCain brings it up, Obama mentions Keating again, Cindy's continuing to do business with Keating, and brings up Liddy and also the damn Alaska Independence Party! I'm so friggin' sick of Americans acting like we are dumber than dirt--all anybody (especially an old white dude) has to do is say 'terrorist' and we all drink the Kool-aid. Other countries have had to deal with terrorism for YEARS and don't act this stupid.

[Vantunow]

I think Obama was surprised it didn't come up in last debate.

He has to come in ready.

He needs to stand up and defend himself forcefully.

He should say that I can bring up tons of contacts that you have had but that would be wasting peoples' time because they deserve to hear about real issues.

Forget Keating.

The guy who made horrible statement about women and how they should lay back and enjoy when being assaulted.­......was one of McCain's fundraisers.

McCain TOOK the money and said the supporters were his supporters. But Fundraising was done by that guy. Even when McCain learned who that guy was, he still kept the money. How disgusting is that.

[pgurlatl]

Who is that guy?

[JubilationLeigh]

What does McCain expect to gain out of bringing up Ayers at a debate? Obama has said and will continue to say the same thing, he was working on a commitee with Ayers and he was in elementary school when Ayers was blowing stuff up. The only thing that would make it worthwhile is if Obama refuses to respond (which would be idiotic) or if the moderator doesn't allow Obama to respond. I don't really see either one of those things happening.

I know McCain made a promise, but he's pretty much broken all of his promise, so what's another one?

[EvasDaddy]

The bottom line is that Ayers is a non-issue. Obama has always treated it as a non issue, so McCain and Palin tried to make THAT the issue. "Obama doesn't think Ayers is important, we do, therefore Obama is wrong".

That is faulty circular logic, which might be characterized as a dog chasing his tail.

With that analogy in mind, think of McCain as the dog, Ayers as his tail, and Obama as the disconnected bystander bemusedly watching the spectacle.