Bill Ayers On Hardball: Calls Accusations "Profoundly Dishonest" (VIDEO)

"I don't tend to watch television news...I have three grown sons who kind of filter those things and they sent it to me."

That's Bill Ayers, making an appearance this evening on Hardball, with Chris Matthews. Once of the Weather Underground, Ayers was more recently a central figure in the vast booga-foo nightmare that the GOP tried to paralyze the nation with to prevent the election of Barack Obama, because they didn't have any ideas or policies they wanted to talk about instead. I guess. I mean, such things could have been useful to a presidential campaign or something! Anyway, instead, we had loud braying about how Obama and Ayers might have met at some point, and Obama's failure to strike Ayers down in cold blood for his crimes was proof that they were in cahoots with one another. Or, in the parlance of Alaska Secessionists, "pallin' around."

Asked about his reaction to Palin's "palling around with terrorists remark, Ayers said: "I thought it was outrageous and profoundly dishonest, and I chose not to react to it at the time."

Ayers added, "I was on a board with President-Elect Obama, we did live in the same neighborhood, but the dishonesty of the narrative is that if you can place two people in the same room or prove that they took a bus downtown together, that they're somehow responsible for one anothers politics, policies, outlook, and behavior, and that seems to me to be patently absurd."

Matthews, along the way, talks about supposed Weather Underground targets like the Pentagon and the Capitol building having special "resonance" because they were hit on 9/11. I know, I know...unlike the Weather Underground, al Qaeda did not furnish evacuation warnings in advance of their attacks. Also, despite what Chris Matthews thinks, the Capitol Building was actually NOT ATTACKED ON 9/11.

Of those bombings, Ayers says, "I don't defend those actions...what I try to do in Fugitive Days is try to understand how this young man...in that context could find himself in these extreme positions." Lots of passive voice in the description, huh? "I think we made enormous mistakes," Ayers says, adding, "I think there were terrible things done." Ayers goes on to say he favors a sort of "truth and reconciliation" moment where everyone comes clean about what they did during the Vietnam War. Somehow I think Robert McNamara isn't going to see eye to eye with this concept.

"I don't want to defend what we did, nor do I think it was completely insane," Ayers says. Matthews remembers some demonstrations and some activism from the period, that he felt was more effective than bombing. What is it that distinguishes a protesting assemblage from a cabal of bombers? Desperation borne of solitude, perhaps. I'm tempted to say: the sort of narcissism that inspires a man to make sure the first thing he says to a TV newsman is that he doesn't watch television news.

For what it's worth, Chris Matthews' judgment was that Bill Ayers was a changed man. Make of that what you will.

[WATCH.]

Comments

[bubbuh]

Bill Ayers is "profoundly dihonest." To this day he can not admit that the actions of the WUO were stupid, dangerous and caused results exactly the opposite of what was intended. Specifically, Nixon's election in 1968 was the direct result of the WUO's actions during the Days of Rage.

That said, Bill Ayers is not in jail because he has never been convicted of anything. "The Authorities"(to get Dylanesque)had their chance "to stans around and boast." when Ayers turned himself in 1973. Instead the government prefigured Michael jackson and said, "Beat it." There was a Federal Indictment outstanding against Ayers at the time. The US Attorney asked that the indictment be queshed "in the interest of National Security."

By the by, I've always wondered who the government informants were in the WUO after the 1968 election.

Take a look at Billy Ayers' booking picture here. Read his story. Make up your own mind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ayers

[keepemhonest]

bubbuh:

.... Y A W N .....

[bubbuh]

Just as long as you cover that mouth.

[MomfromTexas]

"The case against Ayers was dismissed for 'prosecutorial misconduct­.' The government dropped the case after the Nixon administration's 'illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions,' were exposed, he said...

Ayers, the group's 'education minister' who was then in hiding, and 14 other Weather Underground leaders had been accused of plotting at a 1969 meeting in Flint, Mich., to launch a terror campaign.

Ibershof said the bombings were thought to include a 1970 pipe bomb attack on a San Francisco police station, which killed an officer. The crime has never been solved.

But before the trial even began, some of the defense lawyers asserted their offices had been broken into and searched..­.

The illegal tactics were ordered by Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell and FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt, who was later unmasked as the Watergate scandal's 'Deep Throat,' Ibershof said. They were part of a plan, exposed during the Watergate hearings, to use 'espionage techniques' to gather intelligence on domestic foes.

Even after the revelations, Ibershof believed that he could have prevailed. But after a federal judge ordered a sweeping hearing on the burglary and surveillance charges, the government decided in 1973 to drop the case in the interests of national security, he said."

Did you read the source of your lead? I guess, you only have the government to blame for Ayers not being prosecuted.

[bubbuh]

You included lots of assertions. You were also utterly dishonest by quoting out of context to "prove" your case. I've included the entire quote below and a link to the source.

"Ibershof, a registered Democrat, has donated about $200 to Obama's presidential campaign, but the 73-year-old former prosecutor said nobody put him up to his protest.

"I came to this gradually but surely watching the campaign," Ibershof said. "It just didn't make any sense to me."

'In the letter, Ibershof also defends his reputation, taking issue with the characterization that the case against Ayers was dismissed for "prosecutorial misconduct­." The government dropped the case after the Nixon administration's "illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions," were exposed, he said."'

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/campaign08/newsletter/la-na-ayers13-2008oct13,0,2980206.story

[bubbuh]

Oops! Pasted the wrong part of the article

"Even after the revelations, Ibershof believed that he could have prevailed. But after a federal judge ordered a sweeping hearing on the burglary and surveillance charges, the government decided in 1973 to drop the case in the interests of national security, he said."

[bwalsh1]

Changed from what? Did Matthews interview him at the height of the Undergound? On what does Matthews base his assumption that Ayers is a "changed man"? That is such a vague statement to wrap up a piece with.

[Witchitalineman]

There are many who don't watch tv; the bumper stick "kill your television" says it all. While I am one who watches tv which I suppose doesn't fend well for my intelligence it is still my choice. Listening to Chris Matthews put this guy down because he had earrings and wasn't "cleanly" shaved goes to the heart of what's wrong with tv. I too am from the Vietnam, hippie era. It was a different time, different place.

[BLinCincinnati]

Chris didn't put him down for that, Michelle did afterwards.

[Joan2Madison]

Michelle also put him down for his appearance. I found that way out of bounds.

[eden4barack08]

Did he really say all that? Matthews is appalling!
I don't watch tv either, but I do catch the clips like this online, obviously I missed the part you're talking about. How did Ayers answer such ridiculousness?

[nolabels]

I like how Mathews said that it is elitist to not watch TV.

[ReHoover51]

its good to see some positive posts here ...
it seems we have become a bit more civilized to allow past activities of the vietnam era to be discussed and maybe some day to be forgiven on all sides ...
Ayers comments showed him to be the type of person tht deserves respect NO MATTER WHAT HE DID 40yrs ... it is sad that insane, and dangerous people like palin and mccain cant see through their insanity!
did ya hear how mccain campaigned? geeez, now that was pathetic and neanderthal

[vtlt8]

I guess McCain should have just blown up towns he wanted to win instead of campaigning in them. Then he could be civilized.

[eden4barack08]

Pitiful!

[cronkyvoddy]

He did. He's not.

[krabby]

Instead, McCain and Palin just blew up the Republican party!!!

[wonder6789]

Like he did in Vietnam.

[claylandg]

Reguardless of what you think of him now, Two wrongs don't make a right!!!
He and the weather underground were wrong to do the bombing, protesting is fine but bombing isn't no matter how you spin it get a grip people.

[granitestater]

yeah, clayland, it's wrong "to do the bombing" whether it's by underground protesters or US Airforce in Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos. Both were illegal and immoral

[jaschrod]

I, in no way am condoning bombing, but what do you do when your country will not listen to the people, and you have exhausted all other avenues?We see what happens in other countries when the avenues are cut off, the bombings begin.We should not let that happen in this country, so we need to put as much oversight on our government, and hold those accountable for their misdeeds.

[JulieSA]

By bombing the Capitol?

[EndTheHumanWar]

" . . . the sort of narcissism that inspires a man to make sure the first thing he says to a TV newsman is that he doesn't watch television news".

What is he supposed to say?

[kfdan]

It's good to see that Ayers is giving voice to the idea that Americans have to begin to access their country's actions around the world. It is my opinion that America has not come to terms with Vietnam. They have not put that war into perspective and how the failures of empire has brought a new chance to access ourselves as Americans and our empires' methods and goals. Real change takes real guts ... the question is ... do Americans have the guts to do the right thing!

[MarxAlot]

which empire are you referring to?

the evil US empire or the happy Soviet empire?

[RoloTomassi]

What part of "our empire" do you not understand?

Put your Cold War mentality on a shelf, as it serves no sane purpose.

[eden4barack08]

The Soviet empire ceased to exist in the 80's. Have you forgotten you hero Reagan's hard work? Clearly kfdan can't be referring to a non-existent empire.
Use a little logic. You can do it! :)

[vtlt8]

If we wanted to conquer Vietnam we would have conquered Vietnam...

[eden4barack08]

Ah so, we didn't want to win the war, and we didn't win it? Just went there for the hell of human slaughter? That's what I thought!

[Wiserone]

Yeah....an­d what was the reason for not wanting to win that war??? Gee, I'm sure all the Viet Nam vets would be really happy with your more flippant summation as to why we didn't win.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

"If we wanted to conquer Vietnam," what are you talking about, the US dropped more bomb tonnage on Vietnam than was dropped on Germany and Japan put together, there was a half a million US troops over there by 1970, not to mention the South Vietnamese military which we trained and equipped by us. Nixon wanted out, and Ford got out completely. During last 30 days before the helicopters pull the last Marine guards off the roof of embassy, South Vietnamese pilots flying our aircraft destroyed the airport runways in Saigon before they defected to the North, thats why helos had to be used for the evacuations, and why so many who had helped us were left behind. Vietnam was lost public support by 1968 and LBJ admitted on tape it wasn't winable in1964. We misjudged the political situation completely, and it's ironic how many draft dodging chicken hawks today misjudged Iraq in the same way.

[MajorBarbara]

Having grown up in Cambridge, MA at the exact time Mr. Ayers was doing his thing, for lack of a better description, I can honestly point a number of neighbors who held the same beliefs as he did, and acted on them. Did I fear them? No, and I don't fear them now. It was a time of insanity and, as the saying goes, desperate times take desperate measures. Not that I advocate what he did, but I certainly understand it.

[cindyfromfalls]

I agree completely­.....I think you have to have lived the Vietnam era and its tragedy and injustice in order to understand Mr. Ayers and what he did.....I did and I do!

[Witchitalineman]

I agree.

[cronkyvoddy]

ditto. If you weren't there, you don't know.

[MarxAlot]

You're strange people then...

Let's for one moment, pretend that Ayers was a religious extremist.­.. and he wanted to conduct his actions against those who did not share his faith.

would you still feel the same way?

[wonder6789]

The killing and wounding of millions of people (Vietnamese and Americans) cannot be equated to a "not sharing one's faith".

[keepemhonest]

Marx: You gave a stupid analogy .... as stupid as trying to compare an apple to a pineapple.

Bill Ayers, along with THOUSANDS of Nam Protestors were NOT trying to force religion down anyone's throat.

THOUSANDS of Nam Protestors were NOT trying to force religion down anyone's throat.

They were protesting Nixon keeping our soldiers in a Civil War bet. North & South Vietnam ---

They were protesting FOR THE 211,454 dead & wounded US soldiers & the 3000 MIA US soldiers.

They were protesting FOR THE rights of US citizens AGAINST Nixon telling National Guardsmen to shoot protestors during peaceful demonstrations.

They were protesting AGAINST Nixon & Kissingers LIES -- like Bush's lies -- when Nixon lied (about pulling our troops out when he ran for office BOTH TIMES) - people D I E D.

[eden4barack08]

Palin does! She defends, and won't call a bortion clinic bo mbers terr o rists.

[RoloTomassi]

Please, spare us your warmongering nonsense; part of the deep seated problem with Vietnam-era conservatives [that helped them become NeoConservatives thirsty for war] is the INSANE notion that we were fighting for something noble and that we should have WON.

Like Iraq, there is no logical rational for this kind of thinking; the simple truth is that we never should have been there and no amount of righwing BS will ever change that.

Move all of that warmongering idiocy to the present day and you have Iraq.

And the notion that we've acheived anything worthwhile or lasting in Iraq is the faux premise; the illusion will last for the uniformed for as long as we hold a presence there--for the delusional among us, like Vietnam, they will see sucess and value in the effort long after failure has removed all doubt.

[cronkyvoddy]

I've noticed that many of the posters who don't like Ayers include a "lets pretend" for a minute episode in their arguments. It is not an effective way to discuss history. But since you stared it.

Lets pretend you were Vietnamese in 1968. What would you think about Bill Ayers?

If major Barbara is strange to you, then you should know there are millions more who feel the same way. I suspect by your posting you either weren't alive or were very young during the war.

William Ayers had the courage to stand up against a corrupt, criminal government and take action. What have you done to stop the Iraq war? No fair making stories up.

[nomoreofthesame]

Ayers should have done the time for his crimes. And so should McCain, Palin, Bush, Cheney and the rest of the criminal enterprise otherwise known as the GOP.

[wonder6789]

Ayers' crimes are nothing next to those of Johnson's, Nixon's, Kissinger's or McCain going to a poor and non-treatening country and dropping napalm on from airplanes on children, women and men, causing millions to die and be mutilated.
Ayers is a freedom fighter, like the Founders were. They also broke the law and were considered criminals.

[nomoreofthesame]

I agree with your opinion and sentiments. Destruction of property is a crime however. Unlike the folks you mention, Ayers has redeemed himself.

[lovable]

WHAT IS MAKING AYES famous is not what he did during the vietnam war it is what the media did with reporting his relationship with obama . the guilt by association never made any sence . palin had never heard of ayers but made her stupid staements . if she had been questioned in debth she would have been proven stupid . if ayers goes on hannity show now and takes him on one on one he will prove hannity wrong also. but the debate must bbe on neutral ground . not the hannity show where hannity controls the mic. what ayers did during the vietnam war was wrong .
TYING HIM TO OBAMA BY PALIN AND HANNITY WAS EQUALY WRONG AND A LIE .

[EndTheHumanWar]

"WHAT IS MAKING AYES" - 'Ayers'.
"the vietnam war" - 'Vietnam' should be capitalized.
"made any sence" - 'sense'.
"stupid staements" - 'statements'.
"questioned in debth " - 'in-depth'.
"goes on hannity" - 'Hannity's'
"must bbe" - 'be'

[MomfromTexas]

Rude.

[bwalsh1]

You remind me of my sister, always correcting my grammar. It is useful if I am writing a dissertation, on a message board it is an arrogant excuse for not having something good to say.

[Horst]

Ayers is obviously self-absorbed and has really never grown up. He misses the romance of his youth and is now just another sad voice in the crowd.

[Tayo]

Professor Ayer is the voice of reason.

[MarxAlot]

Tayo... why's that?

[eden4barack08]

Indeed, a very intelligent, deep thinking, voice of reason.

[spicegal]

I don't have any strong feelings about Ayers one way or another, and these attempts to "dissect" him or pin him down, or whatever are a waste of time. Yes, he engaged in some radical behavior during a very emotional and turbulent time during our country's history. He also redeemed himself and went on to become an upstanding member of society. Case closed. What the GOP did to Ayers in their attempts to smear Obama was reprehensible. Republicans don't care how many innocent lives they destroy to score political points. Nor does it matter to them that they lie, cheat, or steal. And to even suggest that Obama is somehow responsible for or shares views representative of a guy he barely knows who did "bad" things nearly 40 years ago is beyond the absurd.

[MarxAlot]

is it just me... or am I the only one in here who thinks that bo-mbing federal buildings & a judge's home is 'not good'.

... regardless of the 'good' intentions.

Tell me, am I way off base here?

[emily00011]

ok, you're way off base.
Palin was still dish.ones.­t and di.sgu.sti­ng. She was spared the dissection ... this time. Obama was and is a greater person than she can ever hope to be.

[eden4barack08]

Yes, you are.

[Hope42]

My VietNamVet husband thinks Ayers and others are heroes for trying to stop that horrid war.Got the attention of the warmongers,you betcha.

Ayers was a man who hated the VietNam War and was trying to stop American deaths there (58,929 died!);Obama, buds with him? Don't CARE.

[Jewkie]

Let's not forget the violence perpetrated by police and national guard troops using tear gas, dogs, clubs, guns and yes, explosives, against peaceful Viet Nam War protesters Chicago, Kent State, UC Berkeley, DC, Richmond, Stonewall etc. etc. etc.

[roshni]

Didn't you hear Ayers agree with you during the interview?

[MajorBarbara]

Here here. Well said.

[bwalsh1]

It was not just "radical behavior," it was dangerous behavior that had the potential to hurt his fellow human beings. He knew this, and they did what they could to make sure no one did get hurt, but the possibility was always there and they knew it. They chose violence anyway, and it did not accomplish anything. They were also trying to overthrow the government. What did they want to see it replaced by? Communism. I don't know if they were aware of the civil rights violations that must occur to keep people from overthrowing communist systems, but it seems that such smart, sophisticated people should have had an idea of what was going on in Cuba and Russia.

So, should we punish Ayers? No, the FBI made sure we couldn't do that thanks to their corrupt investigation practices. However, we do not need to reward him with prominent positions and the power to make important decisions within our society. If other people can be driven from the public eye for extramarital affairs, homosexual affairs, or employing prostitutes, it seems that trying to violently overthrow the government should have similiar consequences.

[janmarie]

"Who started the war? The north? The south? The US? The Soviets"

Did it really matter to the security of the USA who started it? No, getting involved military in Vietnam only mattered to the interests of those who would make profit from the war. A lot of young Americans (some of them my friends) died, were maimed and were psychology destroyed for greed.

[MarxAlot]

janmarie..­. what about the innocents that were being slaught-ered by the noble aims of com-munism?

you have been lied to.

we did not go to war to allow private corporations to profit from it... unbelievable that you think this.

[geobushono]

So, briefly explain why we DID go half way around the world to have a war.......­....and "to support an ally" is not an explanation.
Go ahead, you have the floor. We're all waiting.

[bikerdude]

JanMarie is not wrong. As far back as President Ike, we were warned about the dangers of the military industrial complex. I believe that that was part of it as well as a desire to keep a US military presence in that territory. Once again diplomacy loses to the military machine. If we had honorable thoughts about the area, we could have learned a lot from the French experience in that area.

[keepemhonest]

Marx - The USA did not begin firing shots in Nam because of "innocents" slaug-htered by communism.

Re-read your history.

[wonder6789]

If Communist Vietnam is such a horror, how is it that Senator McCain established normal diplomatic relations with it?
Was that really worth 50.000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese killed?

[cronkyvoddy]

Ok. Why did we go to war? Please cite sources, not you opinion.

[Thad]

"Of those bombings, Ayers says, "I don't defend those actions...­what I try to do in Fugitive Days is try to understand how this young man...in that context could find himself in these extreme positions.­" Lots of passive voice in the description, huh?"

Uh, no?

It's similar to passive voice in that he's using weasel words to shift blame from himself, but it's still active voice.

[viflyer]

You know Thad YOU don't have a clue.

[geobushono]

Apparently you weren't alive to experience the 60s activism/actions of Americas true Patriots who were being murdered in their sleep by the cops.
Now, you read your bowlderized history and msm/GE shills interpret for you.
Those bombings were no more illegal-cr­iminal-sen­sless, or hateful than what your gov't was doing to innocent PEOPLE.

[bwalsh1]

Yes, he takes no responsiblity for his actions.

A real man takes responsibility for what he does, whether it is right or wrong or whether he regrets it or not. Ayers strikes me as part coward, for someone with such a violent past he is so passive and non-confro­ntational! So surprising.