How The Right Wing Helped Bill Ayers

After staying silent during an election that made him into one of its central bogeymen, Bill Ayers has been making the rounds, appearing on "Good Morning America" and NPR's "Fresh Air," writing for In These Times and giving lectures to share his experiences and promote the new edition of his 2001 memoir.

At an appearance in Washington Monday, Ayers acknowledged, according to Tribune columnist Clarence Page, how he's actually benefited from some of the right wing attacks:

His right-wing critics have done Ayers a favor. They've probably helped him to sell more books, according to Ayers. They've also helped to remind us of some of the excesses committed by both sides. Federal charges against Ayers were dropped following accusations of illegal Watergate-era activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions by President Richard Nixon's administration.

Nixon was forced to resign. Ayers has since become a model citizen, except for such questionable antics as a magazine photo for which he posed while standing on an American flag. Not nice.

Comments

[LMPE]

By treating Bill Ayers as a near Osama bin Laden, the right wing helped Barack Obama win the election and turned Ayers into a celebrity.