Biden "Disappointed" Ayers Will Be Debate Topic
(CBS)
(LISBON, OHIO) - Joe Biden says he’s “disappointed” to hear that John McCain says William Ayers could be brought up in the final debate between McCain and Barack Obama tomorrow evening.
“In my view…the ads that are being run, picturing Barack Obama and people saying, 'known terrorist' with. I think that's over the top. You know, Barack Obama was eight years old when this guy Ayers was doing bad things,” said Biden.
McCain told St. Louis radio station KMOX, “I was astonished to hear him say that he was surprised that I didn’t have the guts” to bring up Ayers at the last debate. “I think he is probably ensured that it will come up this time.”
William Ayers, a former radical activist who admitted to being proud of domestic terrorist attacks he planned in the late '60s and early '70s against government buildings, has been the focus of McCain ads and speeches by Sarah Palin for over a week. Obama sat on a board of education with Ayers, who also held a coffee in his living room for Obama at the start of his political career.
Biden responded to questions from reporters about McCain’s statement at a diner in Lisbon today.
“This guy Ayers has gotten all kinds of - I don't know anything about him, I've never met him. But I know about him, but I've never met him. But you know, I think the average person looks out there and sees this guy who they say is a known terrorist, and I think they, the vast majority of the American people associate terrorism with, you know, radical Islamic groups and al Qaeda. I just think it's…I think it's over the top.”
Asked why Biden does not call McCain directly and tell him how he feels about these type of attacks, Biden said he had done so, but only before September 11th of this year. At the time, the attacks and the mentioning of Ayers had not become a prominent McCain campaign tactic.
“I know John knows my views,” said Biden. “I expressed them…in a slightly different way earlier. So you know, look. John's campaign, I think this is all about all these people in this diner.”
“All through Ohio here, people are losing jobs. Their homes are being foreclosed on. The people who aren't having their homes foreclosed on, their looking at the nest egg they had and they though the equity in their home drying up. And they want to know what we're going to do.”
Earlier in the town of Warren, AFL-CIO leader Richard Trumka introduced Biden to a crowd of three thousand supporters, many of which were laborers from the steel and auto industries.
“A middle class voter voting for John McCain is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders,” said Trumka. “And if the Republicans get in, you're gonna get plucked!”
Biden, continuing his role as Obama’s go-to guy for speaking out against the McCain-Palin ticket, attacked his rivals for attacking Obama.
“What did John McCain do?” asked Biden, referring to McCain’s speech yesterday. “He laid out some new attacks on Barack Obama…the distinction could not be clearer. One guy’s fighting for you and the other guy’s fighting mad.”
Biden said that whether he travels to Warren or Wilmington, Del., the questions he gets are all the same.
“They’re the things you talk about at your kitchen table. You know, will I have a job next month? Will I have a job next month? Can I afford to go to the doctor? Literally, a woman was saying to me in the ropeline, I wasn’t able to take my kid for his physical for school this year. I don’t have insurance, I didn’t have the money. Can I go see the doctor?” said Biden.
“I can’t go to the doctor!” called a woman from the audience.
Biden turned to her, saying, “Well a lot of people can’t. and we’re going to change that, kiddo. I promise you.”
It was not the only outburst from Biden’s audience.
“At the end of the day there’s a fundamental difference between Barack Obama and John McCain, and Joe Biden and Sarah Palin,” said Biden.
“Brains!” shouted a supporter, inciting laughs from audience and a chuckle from Biden, who responded, “Maybe I should stop here.”
than I am about McCain''s much more recent ties to The U.S. Council for World Freedom, which supplied arms and weapons to ultra-right-wing death squads (ugh, terrorists????)
and Palin''s very recent ties to the Alaskan Independence Party, which clearly and loudly asserts it''s hatred of America, it''s government, it''s desire to be a separate nation and to which Palin has told ON VIDEO this year to "keep up the good work".
I kind of find there to be a huge huge difference in becoming acquainted with someone over childrens'' education issues and the ways that McCain and Palin became acquainted with their terrorist and treasonous friends.
Mccain has had one HUGE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM SINCE DAY ONE OF HIS CAMPAIGN---
HE DOES NOT LISTEN.
America is begging for leadership, and solutions to our very real issues. And what does the millionaire keep doing---talking about an ancient hippie.
The polls show our hunger for leadership...and what does the millionaire Mccain do? keeps talking about a ancient hippie.
Guess what? you are convincing this country that all of your houses and all of your cars have made you are SENILE.
Why do we now have to spend more billions to bail out that Republican Holy Land of deregulation, Wall Street. Yes there is blame to go around, but it is the Republicans who have carried the banner of deregulation before them like the Holy Grail.
Take it to them Joe!
I know Obama is trying to take the high road on the Palin thing, but PUH-LEEZE. She keeps saying that we don''t know Obama, but what about HER?
She has been on the national scene for all of two months, and we don''t know much about her except that she is a chronic liar and quite delusional.
I think we need to know everything there is to know about her. She makes Obama look like a saint in comparison. And uh, normally we don''t think of politicians as being saintly, do we??
I guess they thought that was a "Got-cha" question. That''s all I need to know about her!
That choice alone should have disqualified McCain!
There is this question one should ask John McCain - if the Eyers question comes up in the last debate: "Why Obama''s informal association with Dr. Eyers is an association with a "terrorist", while his informal association with congressman Bobby Rush is not? Because Bobby Rush is black,
and McCain will be called a racist!
Lets call the bluff of Sarah Palin and John McCain by asking them to call all the 1960s radicals "terrorists." Sorry, senator, but terrorists are not cherries to pick and choose. Nikos
Retsos, retired Pol.Sci. and history professor.
I''m sure the McCain team will seize on this.. this HOOLIGAN crowd and declare "same..same".
You know, Palin''s crowd shouts "kill Obama", "terrorist", and "Arab".
That''s EXACTLY the same as Biden''s crowd shouting "I can''t go to the doctor", and "[no] brains".
Fact: McCain''s transition director was a former lobbyist for Saddam Hussein. This is a person working withing the McCain campaign right now
Fact: Sarah Palin''s husband was a card carrying member of the Alaskan Independent Party whose leader claimed his hatred of America burned so hotly that it made the fires of hell look like a glacier. Vogler, (the leader) was murdered while trying to purchase bomb parts. It is also a fact that as a member of a secessionist organization (a group that wants to split from the USA by any means necessary incl. violence) that Palin allows her husband access to her job and employees and apparent access to power.
see post 2
Fact--McCain was also connected to the Ackermans who created the board on which Ayers and Obama appeared
Fact: It is a fact that until the early 1990s McCain was a board member of a group who advocated and supported terrorist activities in Latin and central America and who also endorsed some activities of neo Nazi groups
Fact: McCain has a pastor who stated that Catholics were not Christians and another pastor who said the Jews are continually punished in Israel due to what they did to Jesus thousands of yrs. ago
Fact: Palin had a preacher who hunts witches pray over her and claims he helped her become gov.
Fact: Palin has used taxpayer money to attend personal services at churches and other events and has promised Churches to put God into Gov as much as she can