(Watch) Brian Williams Ask McCain-Palin if Abortion Clinic Bombers are Terrorists Like Ayers

Scott Swenson is the Editor of RH Reality Check.

NBC's Brian Williams asked Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin about their attacks on Sen. Barack Obama and his association with Bill Ayers, and if they would define abortion clinic bombers as domestic terrorists.

Palin said she wouldn't condone such actions and ultimately worked her way to saying that "terrorist" would be defined as anyone who seeks to destroy innocent Americans, meaning that she seems to agree that abortion clinic bombers are terrorists. McCain felt the need to to clean up the answer later in the interview saying that anyone who breaks the law, including bombing an abortion clinic, should be punished to the full extent of the law.

Here's an idea -- how about just de-politicizing private, personal health care decisions that individuals should make for themselves, and repudiating the extremist rhetoric of the anti-choice protesters that create a culture where clinic violence is celebrated. Better yet, how about repudiating the lies being told right now in mailers, robo-calls, and in TV ads about the so-called "Born Alive" bill that contribute to the culture of anti-choice extremism and violence.

McCain has previously said he was "proud of everyone attending our rallies" which includes Paul Schenck who has been linked to numerous acts of violence, including the murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian. Former Republican Congressman and host of MSNBC's Morning Joe has regularly suggested the media discuss Ayers more, but has yet to raise the McCain-Palin links to these un-repetent domestic terrorists. Schenck was recently given VIP passes to a McCain-Palin rally.

Later in the interview in a discussion of elites, McCain defines an elite as someone who "thinks they can dictate to America what they believe, instead of letting Americans decide for themselves." That seems to make the McCain-Palin views on a woman's right to make her own health care decisions, "elitist".

Other anti-choice extremists have been linked to efforts in Colorado to pass a law giving all fertilized eggs human rights, while many conservative, pro-life Republicans have been openly taking a stand against the extremism in the anti-choice movement calling for a change in the abortion debate. Several Republican leaders, including Gen. Colin Powell, have suggested one reason they are supporting Obama is because the Republican Party has moved too far to the right and adopted an extremism that causes them concern.

In the same interview Palin was asked if she is a feminist, and again dodged the question preferring not to associate herself with "labels" even though she is a member of Feminists for Life.

 

 

Comments

[JEFFERYPSEGALLRN]

I want to know why no reporters are asking about the Palin couple's relationship with the Alaska Independence Party. There is more than enough eveidence that they have had a relationship with this group that wants Alaska to secede from the United States. I thought that was treason. We deserve to know about this and we deserve media that has the guts to investigate it. This was only a few years ago and, as far as I'm concerned, is incredibly important-­-certainly more so this this Ayers gossip.

[CALIFORNIAMARTY]

Terrorists should go to prison. Ayers should have gone to prison but prosecutorial misconduct saved his skin. Those who associate with and assist in the sale of books of unrepentant terrorists cannot hold themselves out have good judgment or integrity. The fact that Obama lamely claims as his defense that it happened when he was only 8 years old shows a further lack of integrity and character. Obama was working closely with and exchanging support with this unrepentant hater of America in the last few years. Obama's associations, friends, mentors and spiritual advisors are thugs, felons, terrorists, racists and bigots that hate America, Jews, Israel, whites and honesty. Obama is unfit to serve.

[Michale32086]

I disagree. Obama's association with a terrorist, while disquieting, is NOT disqualifying.

The fact that Obama has, to date, refused to address the issue in any meaningful way is also disquieting, but not disqualifying..

There probably are some very good reasons why Obama choose to associate with a terrorist. For the life of me, I can't think of a single one, but I am willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt and still vote for him. He has earned that much from me.

Which isn't to say that I don't care about the association. I do.. Deeply... It's definitely a strike against Obama and a stain on his honor.

But, in my not so humble opinion, it is NOT a deal breaker..

Michale.....

[Michale32086]

@wrenny

}}}}}
Oh. Okay. I'll see your remark about a washed up terrorist and raise you one news item about a right-wing group that aided Nicaraguan Contras and had the openly anti-Semite comments in its newsletter:
{{{{{

I noticed that you didn't answer my question.. Why is that??

Regardless, I won't be so rude and will gladly answer yours..

I am an Obama supporter.. Why would I care about anything that doesn't affect Senator Obama??

Or are you trying to tie Senator Obama to the Contra aide scandal??

Now, if you would show me the same courtesy that I showed you and answer my question.

Do you think that, if Ayers was a child molester instead of a terrorist that such associations with Obama would still be "innocent" and completely irrelevant??

Michale.....

[Michale32086]

@naeldwyck

}}}}
cool down a bit, please
{{{{

I was simply answering the question in a most emphatic manner..

What's the problem???

Michale.....

[lunchlady]

I'm surprised that they keep harping on Ayers. Its such small potatos, and just a continuing attempt to feed mistrust. Part of that Unknown Stranger stuff. Yawn.
McCain has associates I'm REALLY worried about. Obama has brought them up hardly at all. Given how emotional and irrational voters can be at the last minute perhaps Obama should do more, but I also respect his restraint. However the last minute smear is a time honored tactice in politics, because it works. Kerry took the high ground and lost.

[Michale32086]

Let me ask you something, ma'am..

Do you think that the Ayers issue is "small potatoes" because the associations are not very "strong"??

Or do you feel that way because you don't feel that Ayers is really a terrorist..

I am sincerely curious...

Michale.....

[DemoMom]

This country is still very "puritanical" in many respects, notably on abortion and gay rights, and we're never going to get beyond the corrosive divisions that are so apparent in this election while these attitudes persist. I am pro-choice - I am not pro-abortion - and so many dimwits in this country just don't understand or choose not to understand the distinction. I don't think I could ever have had an abortion, but I know that I could not tell another woman that she shouldn't have one either. Palin would refuse abortions to women who are raped, women who are victims of incest - what kind of Christianity is that? She refuses to recognize those who bomb abortion clinics as domestic terrorists and, yet again, we have this double standard in place. It's interesting that "terrorists" and "muslims" seem to belong together in the Republican right-wing lexicon, yet Timothy McVeigh was an all-American blond guy and everyone seems to forget about him.
Aargh - makes me want to scream!!! Is it November 4 yet? Please can we send Palin back to Alaska soon??

[girlak]

A lot of Alaskans don't want her back, but it is better than the alternative.

[Michale32086]

Could you post some evidence to support your claim.

Prior to all this, she was an Governor with an 80% approval rating, the highest in the country.

This would seem to negate your opinion that "A lot of Alaskans don't want her back".

Michale.....

[DeclarationofConscience]

I wanted to lol until I realized that this wasn't Tina Fey and Darrel Hammond...

They just couldn't let the Bill Ayers thing go. Sarah Palin thought she was so smart saying that Senator

Obama "challenged" McCain to bring it up. In essence she was saying: Senators Obama and Biden

double dared us to do it so we did.

Do we really need this pair to take us into a nuclear war just because someone "dared" them to?

[lovintheconstitution]

What is an elitist?? Maybe someone who feels compelled to spend $150,000 in ONE MONTH on clothes to look "better than" someone else when they are on stage being "better than" the dems??? hmmmm that would insinuate that Sarah Palin is a hypocrite...well, if the sassy expensive shoe fits.....

[Michale32086]

Terrorism is defined as ongoing and systematic attacks of violence specifically targeted against innocent civilian persons or property for the purpose of furthering a political, economical or ideological agenda.

}}}
Are Abortion Clinic Bombers Are Terrorists Like Ayers??
}}}

Abso-frack­ing-loutly­!!

A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist..

Michale.....

[naeldwyck]

cool down a bit, please

[Kerris]

Is McCain running against Ayers? Because he keeps talking like he is. Okay, I make you a deal John McCain, you run against Ayers and I will buy everything you say about the Weather Underground.

Until then... can you just shut up and tell me how you would help that old lady down the road keep her house from being foreclosed. I tell you, *she* will bomb the damn thing before she lets them auction it off, so... will she be labeled a domestic terrorist then?

[Michale32086]

Depends on why she does it...

Chances are, probably not.

Michale.....

[wrenny]

The "unrepentant terrorist" are grating enough, but Ayers openly explained that the comment wasn't about bombing but about doing more in general to stop the war. This illustration on his blog explains:
http://billayers.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/amessagefrombillayersreformat.jpg

This page details the approximately 5.4 million people killed over the Viet Nam war.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=5096

I'm not trying to defend Ayers' past actions, of which I really don't know details - but it was long ago. He's a respected professor who was chosen Chicago's Citizen of the Year in 1997 for his work on the Annenberg project - and 3,000 educators nationwide have signed a statement supporting him:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/22/profs.support.ayers/index.html

And The Chicago Sun-Times points out that not all former terrorists/radicals are shunned:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1215925,CST-NWS-ayers12.article

Meanwhile, McCain's close relationship with G Gordon Liddy has been ignored. This MediaMatters article lists some pretty shocking things Liddy has certainly never shown "repentance" for:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100015?f=s_search

I'm not concerned about McCain's relationship with a "washed up terrorist," but McCain is putting our nation at risk of class/race/religion hatred and violence and chaos. Let's all hope it's not long before he awakens from his bad dream and jumps into a level-headed position of moral leadership in stopping the destruction before it gets any worse.

[Michale32086]

A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist..

Would you make the same claims about it "was long ago" and such if Ayers crime was child molestation?? Of course not..

A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist.

It's not what they do... It's what they are...

Michale....

[naeldwyck]

Let's stick to the subject. This has nothing - absolutely nothing to do with child molestation, and to suggest it does is quite abusive, actually.

[wrenny]

Oh. Okay. I'll see your remark about a washed up terrorist and raise you one news item about a right-wing group that aided Nicaraguan Contras and had the openly anti-Semite comments in its newsletter:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/24/mccain-featured-in-iran-c_n_137626.html

[confusia]

for one so opposed to labelling one wonders exactly what it is that govenor palin has been seeking to define obama as these past weeks.

[ToddG]

The more I listen to Palin use of the passive tense and the gerund form, the more I think I am going to go insane. McCain looks like he wants to just scream at her, "shut up! use the active tense, make sentences that make sense."

Also, their obsession with Ayers is ridiculous. Yes, Ayers was a terrorist, and he did awful things and due to incompetence in the Nixon administration, he did not go to jail. But Obama seemed to only know this guy in passing. The perptual poking on what is clearly a weak argument makes them look stupid and petty.

They look awful together as she is clearly stepping on his toes.

[naeldwyck]

Have you read George Packer's piece on Palin's language in the New Yorker a couple of weeks ago? Brilliant.

[Philly Gadfly]

Apparently, the governor is too good for labels.

[professoramy]

She's wearing $150,000 worth of labels. Hmmmm.

[Michale32086]

Really!??

She wore ALL those clothes, ALL at once???

WOW!!!

Can you post a of pic of this. It probably would be a hoot to see...

Michale.....

[XME]

She avoided directly answering whether she considers bombers of abortion clinics terrorists like the plague! Her answer that terrorists are anyone one who harms "innocent" people. By Sarah Palin's definition, that very well could mean that she doesn't think bombing people at abortion clinics is in any way harming innocent people.

Maybe not, but considering how she never directly answered the question, it certainly makes me VERY wearly of her view on that one.