1069

Palin defends terrorist comment against Obama

By JIM KUHNHENN

BURLINGAME, Calif. (AP) — Sarah Palin defended her claim that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists," saying the Democratic presidential nominee's association with a 1960s radical is an issue that is "fair to talk about."

Obama has denounced the radical views and actions of Bill Ayers, a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam era. On Sunday, Obama dismissed the criticism from the McCain campaign, leveled by Palin, as "smears" meant to distract voters from real problems such as the troubled economy.

Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, launched the attack Saturday and repeated it Sunday, signaling a new strategy by John McCain's presidential campaign to go after Obama's character.

"The comments are about an association that has been known but hasn't been talked about," Palin said as she boarded her plane in Long Beach, Calif. "I think it's fair to talk about where Barack Obama kicked off his political career, in the guy's living room."

Later, at a fundraiser, Palin elaborated on her attack, claiming one of Obama's advisers had described Obama and Ayers as "friendly."

"In fact, Obama held one of his first meetings hoping to kick off his political career in Bill Ayers' living room," she told the crowd, which had just raised $2.5 million for the Republican party's McCain-Palin Victory 2008 fund.

At issue is Obama's association with Ayers. Both have served on the same Chicago charity and live near each other in Chicago. Ayers also held a meet-the-candidate event at his home for Obama when Obama first ran for office in the mid-1990s, the event cited by Palin.

In February, Obama strategist David Axelrod told the Politico Web site: "Bill Ayers lives in his neighborhood. Their kids attend the same school. They're certainly friendly, they know each other, as anyone whose kids go to school together."

But while Ayers and Obama are acquainted, the charge that they "pal around" is a stretch of any reading of the public record. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts. Obama was 8 years old at the time the Weather Underground claimed credit for numerous bombings and was blamed for a pipe bomb that killed a San Francisco policeman.

At a rally in North Carolina, Obama countered that McCain and his campaign "are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance." The Democrat described the criticism as "Swiftboat-style attacks on me," a reference to the unsubstantiated allegations about 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry's decorated military record in Vietnam.

During her stop in California, Palin was asked about an Associated Press analysis that said her charge about Ayers was unsubstantiated, a point made by other news organizations, and the criticism carried a "racially tinged subtext that McCain may come to regret."

"The Associated Press is wrong," Palin said, before arguing that the issue had not been adequately discussed.

In fact, Obama was questioned about Ayers during a prime-time Democratic debate against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton prior to April's Pennsylvania primary.

Palin, recharged after last week's debate against Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, is animating the party's conservative wing with harsh attacks against Obama. She's courting high-dollar donors for campaign cash. And she is looking to wrestle away women and independent voters from the Democrats.

"The heels are on, the gloves are off," she declares, a threat delivered with a smile.

With that message, the campaign is sending her on a whirlwind tour of political trouble spots.

On Sunday, she was headed for a rally in Omaha, Neb., a defensive move in one of the two states in the nation that can split their electoral votes. Her visit illustrated the depth of worry within the McCain camp. Since 1964, all five of the state's electoral votes have gone to the Republican presidential candidate.

On Monday, she begins a two-day, event-packed tour of Florida that stretches from Naples in the South to Pensacola in the panhandle. North Carolina and Pennsylvania are next.

After a hold-your-ground debate performance last week, Palin is back to where she was after her show-stopping speech at the Republican convention a month ago — the top draw in the McCain-Palin ticket.

About 10,000 people came to her rally Saturday in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. She raised $2 million in one California fundraiser for the McCain-Palin Victory 2008 fund. She's getting the star treatment from the likes of Grammy winner Vikki Carr and actor Robert Duvall.

She's still the carefully handled national politics greenhorn. Reporters traveling on her plane are kept at a distance. At fundraising events she doesn't take questions in public from donors, as McCain does. Contributors greet her privately before she allows the press in for her stump speech.

She brushes off some of her criticism as if it were lint on her jacket.

"People say that I speak too simply, or don't have quite the — I don't have my thesaurus in my back pocket all along through my speeches," she told donors in Englewood, Col. "Well, I don't have time for that."

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You know, maybe the conservatives have a point; this is an Associated Press article, and it does sound just a wee bit biased against palin.

I mean, that's good. I'm glad. She sucks.
But... yeah. I believe I caught a whiff of dislike, of enmity, from this article.
Doncha think?

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MrVicchio

Can you blame Palin for taking the gloves off against Obama?

She's been hammered, JUST HAMMERED for existing, and everything else.

Personally, the question I would put in an ad for the McCain camp would be soemthing like

"Why does it take people asking questions about his associates for Barak Obama to ask questions about his associates?"

1069

I back Obama 100%. I oppose palin 100%.
But... in this article, I sense a bias. The bias is for obama, and against palin.
I understand that's not really professional or responsible reporting.

My concern is that, if I sense this, others will too. Undecided others.
And they will be tempted to vote for mcCain, simply because they sense that Palin is being unfairly put upon, and wish to defend her.
She's already actively trying to stir this reaction up with her thinly-veiled references to a liberal media conspiracy against her; we don't need to provide any fuel for such allegations.

talloulou

The left is woe to describe Obama's uprise from a radical neighborhood. They're woe to describe his activist beginnings.

Is the media being fair? Well no.

It is in fact a fair question to ask Obama about his association with Ayers. Outside that particular radical neighborhood it's an ominous association. The truth is, within the context of the neighborhood, Ayers as well as Rev. Wright are perfectly acceptable associations. The folks in that neighborhood embrace marching to the beat of their own drum. They love thumbing their collective noses at what they view as a corrupt government, a corrupt USA.

Obama is now running to be King of that very same corrupt USA. While some may view him, himself, as a bit of a radical I'd wager the radical left from his old neighborhood faults him for not being radical enough.

It's interesting. It should be discussed and it would be a fascinating conversation if it were an honest one.

But the truth is it would hurt Obama to talk about this in any remotely candid conversation.

But I for one would love to hear him talk openly about men such as Ayers and Wright. To be fair I think he attempted an honest discussion about his feelings in regards to Wright while trying to explain Wright to America in the context of that radical neighborhood. Once he saw that people were more interested in crucifying him vs. listening and learning something he decided to cut and run which politically was the best move. Better late than never I suppose.

But yeah I would love to hear Obama speak openly on Ayers. Particularly on how he feels about Ayers as a man, as a person. Clearly he doesn't despise the man as most of America seems to. I'd like to know why. I like to hear how Ayers views of America contrast and/or compare with his own. Obama is gifted in understanding and explaining people in context which is key.

It's easy to be snarky, like Palin, and claim Ayers is a terrorist. HE IS. He downright brags about it. Claims he wishes he had done more. Yet, in the context of his own neighborhood Ayers is adored, respected, admired even. A professor! How does that happen. I'd love Obama to offer up his thoughts on that.

'Course it'll never happen. But it would be an interesting conversation.

I hope if Obama is elected he doesn't go all PC and become just another white politician who happens to also be black. He has insight that someone like say, me, could never have. He's already peaked my interest by sharing some of it in two books, the first being the better of the two.

But the more he distances himself from his past, the more he separates who he is now from detailed explanations of how he came to be the less interesting he becomes as a man.

Whether or not Ayers is Obama's best friend is a fairly stupid conversation to bicker about. How Ayers managed to have done all he's done, bragged about, and still garnered respect, maintains a position as a professor, and is a key player in a prominent Chicago neighborhood is a far more interesting discussion.

Yayasmom

Ya think? I give you credit for being honest.

donc

Sure lets get everything on the table,let the voters can take a closer look including McCain’s association with Keating, and Libby.

Lets talk about Governor Palins ties to the Alaskan independent Party.Let the Skeletons start rattling, and see who has more skeletons in the closet, 72 year old McCain, or 47 year old Obama.

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