Reading The Pictures: New York Times Plays The Ayers Card

Records of a school reform project suggest Barack Obama has played down contact with Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weathermen, but they do not seem to have been close.  -- NYT article caption

With Obama opening up a strong lead in the polls, it's hard not to feel the Times is either taking it upon itself to make the race more competitive, or adhering to some juvenile rule of parity in which each candidate gets whacked in turn, even if a front page article -- raising all kinds of long hashed-over and discredited innuendos -- ends with the conclusion there is nothing there to speak of.

Friday afternoon's NYT.com front page features an image and article resuscitating feeble allegations -- all then discounted -- of some kind of professional, philanthropic or even political collaboration between Barack Obama and Bill Ayers, the article serving little more than a re-introduction of Ayers -- and, by association, questions about Obama's character and patriotism --  into the media sphere.

If you can hold your nose long enough to read the article, you'll also notice how the author -- by way of an interview with a Chicago Tribune columnist -- also manages to reference Obama's relationship with Jeremiah Wright, including the '"God damn America" sermon."' (But then, given the specter of a less competitive election in comparison to the orgy the media had over Reverend Wright, why should all the election fireworks fizzle out now?

Given the power of images to create connotations well beyond the most qualified of words, the New York Times dug up this 2001 image of Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn to slap on the front of the on-line edition.  (I'm more than half expecting to see it on the front of Saturday's print edition, as well.)  Besides offering you a screen grab of the digital lead, the image above is the expanded version of the pic from the article.  Not only are the former Weathermen staring down at us with self-righteous expressions, but Ayers could be seen as flipping us the bird.

I am typically a lot more high-minded in my conclusions, but frankly, this is right-wing enabling crap.

Update 1:  Well, whaddya know.  Here's the front page of Saturday's NYT print edition.  Check top of the fold, accompanied by a 26-year-old shot of the long hair.

Update 2: After the jump in the print edition, page A14 is full of large, accompanying images including the shot above, BA's FBI wanted poster, and two screen shots from political ads by independent fly-by-nights attempting to tie Obama to Ayers.  (Click for larger size.)

Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths (NYT)

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(image: Todd Buchanan for the New York Times, 2001)

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Comments

[kapo]

It would be logical for the Times to publish this story if they are also going to examine McCain's flying history. Don't knock them until you see what their ultiomate game is.

[SBlackmun]

The NY Times ought to know by now that it will never be credible with the right, and give up trying.

[Tzimisce]

You guys need to settle down and stop attacking the NYT for doing what any responsible media outlet should do. If anything, this article is gonna have a significant disarming effect on the far-right smear campaign against Obama.

I'm sure that quotes from this thing will be used in ads from both sides. But the fact that it gives Obama and his surrogates ammo to counter the attacks on him should justify things.
Just imagine the alternative - that something like this was published in the New York POST.

[spillersgirl]

I encourge everyone to read the "Rolling Stone's" cover story "Make Believe Maverick" by Bill Dickinson (forgive me if I remembered his name wrong). It gives an alarming revelation of the true McCain. I sincerely hope that NYT will cite some of this important material. To be fair "Rolling Stone" covers all the candidates, and writes tough, truthful articles about each candidate. NYT, as we all know, is a powerful newspaper, and I sincerely hope they will not sink to "enabling" (as Michael phrases it so well) divisiveness in America. Just tell the truth NYT! MSM -- please just tell the truth without the shade, inuendo, slant and all the other adjectives that describe biased journalism.

[paul milwaukee]

I too read the article. It seems to be a good article which defuses the charges that Obama was influenced by Ayers.

Since the McCain campaign or GOP might drag this issue out again this month, the article seems to rationally examine the whole matter and strongly imply that there's little to it. I doubt that Obama has said anything as positive about Ayers as the current Mayor Daley did when quoted in the article.

[WesfromGA]

Where's the big Times story on Sarah Palin's connections to a separatist political party in Alaska? Where is the big story on her connecting the 9-11 attacks to Iraq?? My word, can't these folks call a lie a lie? You'd think that, having been burned so often by Bush and Cheney, the media would summon the self-regard to call candidates on their lies about war and peace.

[mmerose]

Well, at least we gotta figure Sarah Palin won't read it.

[Tzimisce]

...I read the article... it's actually pretty dismissive of the claims of the far-right vis-a-vis Obama and Ayers. The author concludes that it lacks any serious substance, and that they're merely associates by happenstance, not close friends or even confidantes.

[apoyo]

The NYT's headline says it all. Obama was a child in the the 1960's.

[optech007]

So would it be OK if one of the candidates in the 2040 election is associated with a member of Al-Qaeda?

[larry278]

It'll depend upon who is running the USA & if the USA still exhists. Sarah & her 1st dude may lead Alaska to secede. They could rejoin Russia. There is the possibility that the USA's creditors will take a state if the USA defaults on its debts or the USA tries to raise money after US instruments are reduced to junk bond or worse risks. It's probable that the situation will get much worse if Hank Paulson &/or his ilk manage the bail-out.
Al Qaeda could be buying US paper by then.

[MajorChode]

Wingnuts like Hannity keep trying to make a connection to Ayers when there never was one. It only goes to show how desperate they are to find a swiftboat they can sink their teeth into, but that dog won't hunt. It's no wonder their party is swirling the drain.

[BubbaG]

Far from being a maverick reformer or a hero, McCain has spent his entire career - in military school, in the military, in Congress -- perfecting the art of manipulation and aggrandizement.

1. How many planes did McCain crash during his training?
at least 3, but because of his family ties, his wings weren't pulled; and, once, against regulations, he flew just above the ground because he got bored and ended up taking down an electric power line and an entire area in southern Spain was placed in a blackout (maybe that's why he doesn't like Spain?).

3. When McCain's plane caught fire onboard the aircraft carrier, how heroic were McCain's actions?
McCain left the deck of the aircraft carrier and went to the officer's lounge to watch the fire on tv. According to men who served with McCain, there were many pilots who were working hard to save the lives of other sailors and who were fighting the fire.

4. How many successful missions did McCain fly before he got shot down?
3 and he was shot down on his third mission.

5. How did the Viet Cong find out that McCain was an admiral's son?
McCain told them.

6. How long was McCain actually tortured while a POW?
McCain was tortured for five or six months, and then he spent the rest of his POW residence being treated better than the other POW's.

In short, John McCain isn't HALF the hero he makes himself out to be.

[cariintexas]

NYT keep pushing the lies, hasn't done Hannity and rightwing hate talk radio any good. Have many times do you have to beat a dead horse before you realize it's dead. Oh, how do you feel about " Ignoring Congressional subpoenas" No Intrest in that huh?

[dadele]

The Obama campaign should pick a couple of NYT employees to leave in Indiana Monday, drop off someone from the Washingtonpost in NC and ask NBC to appoint a newscaster as their liaison to the campaign.

[demfriend]

Is there not enough NEW news that the media cannot find something to fill in the blank pages with? The old stuff like with Palin dragging up stuff when she should be watching her own backside appears like a rerun that might have got the attention the first and maybe second time but when it has been debunked and ran over with a truck still someone has to drag it out again.Why not the Keating scandal as it has bearing more over the crashing market we are living with? There is stuff to print that isn't lies or stuff which only makes the newspaper look like the mag rag at the market. Next we want to seen aliena babies with Spock ears on the front page OK NYT? How about this one? Palin's husband is not a paid gov official for Alaska we can agree on that correct? How is it legal for him to have access to so much confidential infromation that he could be doing under the table deals with a multitude of businesses just by being CC'd on the gov email. Was he/is he the Co-Governor of Alaska? No one care about all that right? Just think of the money he can make if he becomes Co-VP.

[mnash]

There is another post on here that says, it was proven Ayers ever killed anyone and related the story to John McCain when he had 23 missions in Vietnam. It is said Vietnam was a war of choice. And wondered during his 23 missions how many people he killed.