Campaigns Do Battle Over Ayers, Keating

Old Events, Links To Obama And McCain Fuel Attacks On The Trail

(CBS/ AP)  The McCain and Obama presidential campaigns traded accusations of mudslinging Monday in the wake of new ads dredging up infamous events from 20, 30, even 40 years ago.

Over the weekend, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin alleged that Barack Obama was "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country," referring to his association with Bill Ayers, founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam era.

In response, Democrats denounced Palin's charge and warned that it would trigger reexaminations of John McCain's past. Sure enough, Obama's campaign released a Web video and a letter about McCain's role in the Keating Five scandal from the early 1990s.

Advisers to Obama and McCain defended their candidates Monday on CBS News' The Early Show.

Nancy Pfotenhauer, an adviser to the McCain campaign, said Obama has "very questionable judgment in foreign policy" and has "relationships with individuals that I think call into question his judgment."

"In four short weeks, Americans are going to pull the lever for the man who will be the next commander-in-chief of our country in a time we face tremendous challenges both here with our economy and aboard," Pfotenhauer said. "And with Barack Obama, we know very little about this man. He has a very, very scant record and he, frankly, obfuscates or hides that record frequently on domestic issues."

Obama's communications director, Robert Gibbs, countered that the charges from the McCain campaign are happening because Republicans want to talk about something other than the struggling economy.

"The McCain campaign would much rather engage in a character assassination smear campaign than talk about their plans to make this economy strong again. That's not what people deserve in this election," Gibbs said.

Gibbs also responded to the specific charges about Obama and Ayers and brought up McCain's connections to Charles Keating.

"Bill Ayers has played no role in Barack Obama's campaign. Barack Obama has condemned the attacks that happened when Barack Obama was 8-years-old," he said. "Charles Keating is relevant in this campaign because the actions of a United States senator to pressure regulators … against stopping criminal activity at a savings and loan that cost tens of thousands of people their life savings is relevant in the very current news that we have in our struggling economy where we're watching banks collapse each and every day. Is that the kind of leadership, is that the kind of person we trust to get our economy going again?"

On ABC's "Good Morning America," Pfotenhauer said she thought that commercials that raise new questions about Obama's associations "have struck a nerve" with the Democrat.

The names being bandied about - Bill Ayers and Charles Keating - are unfamiliar to millions of Americans, and their wrongdoings occurred decades ago. But political operatives dredged them up over the weekend, and they could play a prominent role in the campaign's final month.

Ayers was a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam era. Its members were blamed for several bombings when Obama was a child. Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities.

The two men live in the same Chicago neighborhood and once worked on the same charity board. Ayers hosted a small meet-the-candidate event for Obama in 1995, early in his political career. Obama strategist David Axelrod has said the two men are "friendly."

On Sunday, Palin defended her earlier comments about Obama and Ayers. She told reporters in California that her comments were about "an association that has been known, but hasn't been talked about. I think it's fair to talk about where Barack Obama kicked off his political career, in the guy's living room." (Read more)

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

"The heels are on, the gloves are off," Palin said of her campaign strategy.

In an interview in The New York Times published Monday, Palin also spoke about Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who made anti-American comments even though McCain had said talk of Wright was off limits.

Palin said, "I don't know why that association isn't discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country."

At a Monday morning rally in Florida, Palin kept up her criticism of Obama and Ayers, though this time she referred to him as a "former terrorist."

Obama, speaking Sunday to thousands at an outdoor event in Asheville, N.C., fired back. He said McCain and his aides "are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance."

He described the criticisms as "Swiftboat-style attacks on me," a reference to the unsubstantiated allegations about 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry's military record in Vietnam.

Other Democrats rushed to Obama's defense. Veteran party activist Hillary Rosen, on CNN's "Late Edition," said, "If they throw mud like that, then you go back to Charles Keating, you go back to Sarah Palin's investigation." She was referring to inquiries into the firing of Alaska's top police official.

"You know, I just don't think that John McCain wants to take this nuclear strategy," Rosen said.

Just months into his Senate career, in the late 1980s, McCain made what he has called "the worst mistake of my life." He participated in two meetings with banking regulators on behalf of Keating, a friend, campaign contributor and savings and loan owner who was later convicted of securities fraud.

The Senate ethics committee investigated five senators' relationships with Keating. The panel cited McCain for a lesser role than the others, but faulted his "poor judgment."

Obama's new Web video, being e-mailed to millions of his supporters, summarizes a 13-minute Web "documentary" that the campaign plans to distribute Monday.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said in a statement, "McCain's Keating history is relevant and voters deserve to know the facts."

On Sunday, Obama also unveiled a TV ad on the economy that describes McCain was "erratic in a crisis." Some see that as a reminder of McCain's age, 72.

[dicktracy200]

The verdict is in. At a time when the terrible, terrible state of the economy is causing US citizens such as the guy in California to kill this morning his wife, three children, mother-in-law and self, why do we continue to participate in mudslinging. The state of our economy is a very serious and grave issue at this time. We can not waste time engaging in mudslinging that the only purpose it serves is to divert the very, very serious issues of the economy that our country is faced with. I think we as Americans are very capable of determining one%u2019s character, thats our job and we don%u2019t need any help in accomplishing it. Please this is our time (the American People), we have a decision to make on Nov 4, which is only weeks away. We would ask that the candidates not waste any more of our time trying to influence the us whether or not someones character is upstanding, we can do that. What we wish would be done is for the candidates to take time and share a strategy dealing with the economy with us that we don%u2019t loose anymore people as we already have in California to collateral damage.

[hjedtyj]

Did anyone hear how CBS and NBC polls include the oversampling of African American democrat voters to favor of Obama in the past month? Are current polls legitimate?

Why is media saying Obama is doing better than McCain on economy when BOTH voted for the $700 billion bailout with zeal last Friday when it does NOT benefit working people?

Isn''t that a blatant contradiction? Lie?

Does this mean that Obama has been given tonight''s debate questions beforehand to practice since it is well known that he doesn''t debate well without teleprompters?

Since he dodged McCain''s 10 invitations to town hall style debates this summer?

Since it is all over the internet, wonder if Obama''s homosexual affair with Larry Sinclair in November 1999 be revealed? Just google, "Obama''s closeted homosexual affair...."

Hmmmm.......

[hjedtyj]

Did anyone hear how CBS and NBC polls include the oversampling of African American democrat voters to favor of Obama in the past month? Are current polls legitimate?

Why is media saying Obama is doing better than McCain on economy when BOTH voted for the $700 billion bailout with zeal last Friday when it does NOT benefit working people?

Isn''t that a blatant contradiction? Lie?

Does this mean that Obama has been given tonight''s debate questions beforehand to practice since it is well known that he doesn''t debate well without teleprompters?

Since he dodged McCain''s 10 invitations to town hall style debates this summer?

Since it is all over the internet, wonder if Obama''s homosexual affair with Larry Sinclair in November 1999 be revealed? Just google, "Obama''s closeted homosexual affair...."

Hmmmm.......

[babooph]

John remembers much of the past,and little of the present-my grandmother got like that too.

[ragnar30066]

Obama has been shielded from public scrutiny by an adoring New York media that would (has?) sell its sold to put a fellow ultra-liberal in the White House.

The voters have a right to know about the candidates they are voting for. If the media won''t present the facts about Obama, then others must.

By the way, if anyone wants to file a civil action suit againt the Obama campaign for violating their (First Amendement) Civil Rights by trying to intimidate radio and tv stations from running informative ads, just let us know where to contribute. I''m tired of seeing Obama''s efforts to silence dissent through intimidation (e.g., Pennsylvania). I''d rather contribute thousands to a defense of our civil liberties than hundreds to a political candidate, any day.

[dicktracy200]

The fact that Fox News Network is taking the position of launching a series of all out assaults against senator Obama%u2019s character is a sad day in journalism. They should be ashamed of the immoral and unethical standards that their network displays on a continual basis. What they must be made to understand is that as citizens we rely upon networks for their fair and accurate reporting of events and we will not tolerate anything less, especially when its over the top or maybe I should say as far right as Fox News Network is. If your views are the same share this message with others. It is time to take a stand against Fox and look to other networks for fair and accurate news coverage.

[dupridunge]

iraq war was a man made war b/w bush, cheney & mccain.it was not suppose to end. it was an open check to spend american money illegally. when obama spoke against it latey after his visit, they hurriedly put up the surge issue. american has the power to win any war. but these leader i mentioned like mccain wants arrested development in iraq so that budget could be made for lobbyist and contractor like halliburton. thats the reason we should vote mccain out

[jjmarz1001]

McCain destroyed more American planes in his career as a fighter pilot that he downed enemy planes.
McCain unloaded his missiles on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier killing 134 American soldiers.
McCain was a POW songbird and gave information to the enemy that resulted in the death of many American soldiers.

''COUNTRY FIRST'' !!! Sure...

[dupridunge]

if Palin is looking for domestic terrorist against american, well she should look no further, cos John Mccain is well be placed to be DOMESTIC ECONOMIC TERRORIST against hard working american people.

[mairin27]

Posted by NC4Obama at 06:07 PM : Oct 06, 2008
Since the McCain campaign announced they would be launching personal attacks on Senator Obama as part of their "turn the page" on the economy strategy, McCain surrogates have taken to the campaign trail and the airwaves and brazenly lied about the alleged connection between Obama and Bill Ayers.
What they won''t tell you is that after a thorough and exhaustive investigation the very story they cite as raising questions definitely concluded that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close." This finding mirrors the findings of a number of other independent investigations, which found that the relationship alleged is "tenuous," "absurd," and lacking "evidence."

Notwithstanding the facts, we fully expect an increasingly frustrated and desperate McCain campaign to continue to lie in attacking Senator Obama.

However, the question remains -- will McCain and his allies be challenged by the press on their lies or will they be allowed to propagate them with impunity. Please find, below, a list of the most common lies the McCain campaign tells about Ayers and the actual facts that prove them false.

http://www.time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/2008/10/obama_camp_challenging_mccain.html

[nc4obama]

I find it ironic that McCain wants to "go there" about Ayers, claiming Ayers helped launch Obama''s senatorial run seeing that it was Charles Keating who launched his! McCain went to Keating for his connections and then used Cindy''s dirty family money to run for senate in Arizona...when this hits the airwaves not only will he be "shell-shocked" but it will probably stir up that PTSD of his!

[keating54u]

1980''s and early 1990''s the US economy was badly shaken by the failure of 747 savings and loan (S&L) institutions that had to be taken over and bailed out by the federal government. In total, the failures cost taxpayers $124 billion. One of the main causes for the epidemic of failures was the unregulated expansion of S&L''s, which had traditionally only dealt with home loans, into more exotic and riskier investments. When many of those investments failed, the institutions collapsed

www.keatingeconomics.com

[keating54u]

www.keatingeconomics.com

[cindy2356]

pitbullpalin.net

[cindy2356]

This election will be close. Check out pitbullpalin.org

[kenwonobi]

You Republicans are retards. with your terrorist muslim mumbo jumbo. You have nothing except fear tactics and lies. You sound like total lunatics with your conspiracy theories. You also sound like cowards who believe anything a Conservative show will tell you. It is already starting to be appaling that you live in the same America as most good citizens who dont spend most pf their day calling neighbors muslims and terrorists like the Mc Carthy era or the Salem witch trials era. You people are clearly the lowest of society and Republicans have you in huge supplu obviously.

[keating54u]

www.keatingeconomics.com

[keating54u]

MCCAIN HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO WITH THE KEATING 5


OH WAIT HERE IT IS


www.keatingeconomics.com

[homespunlady]

So what do you think about the Mother of a "DOMESTIC TERRORIST" who''s SON jumped a fence to cut the brake lines of SCHOOL BUSES that if NOT caught could have injured or KILLED dozens of INNOCENT KIDS?

Should the kid have gone to JAIL or is it "acceptable" that he gets "shipped off" to a "sports camp" because MOMMA HAS "PULL" as a REWARD for his TERRORIST ACTIONS?

I''ll OPT for PROSECUTING REAL "TERRORISTS" for REAL ATTACKS rather than "suspects" for "thought crimes".

DO YOU agree that kid SHOULD BE IN JAIL and MOMMA should BE TOO for OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE?

WHY throw stones when there''s a "domestic terrorist" as well as a "secessionist" in that "glass house"?

[ribbie149]

OK, here''s the deal- in language as simple and irrefutable as I can make it:

If you are happy with the way things are in America right now, vote for the people who made it that way.

If you think we are on a disastrous path and want things to improve, vote for the people who will honestly try to bring about those improvements.

It''s really very simple, but as we have proven in the past, so are we...

All the rest is noise.