Bill Ayers Distances Himself From Obama

Vietnam-Era Radical Says Relationship Overstated In Blogosphere, But Defends Own Actions During The Vietnam WarThe 1960s

(AP)  Vietnam-era radical Bill Ayers said Friday he doesn't know President-elect Barack Obama any better than "thousands of other Chicagoans" and the two never talked about Ayers' anti-war activities.

In a television interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," the college professor disputed the contention that in the new afterword of a paperback edition of his 2001 memoir "Fugitive Days" he describes Obama and him as "family friends."

"I'm describing there how the blogosphere characterized the relationship," Ayers said. "I would really say that we knew each other in a professional way, again on the same level as say thousands of other people."

Ayers, an education professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, helped found the radical group the Weathermen that carried out bombings at the Pentagon and the Capitol.

His name came up repeatedly in Republican Sen. John McCain's campaign, with McCain wondering about the closeness of the relationship. McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, talked about how Obama would "pal around with terrorists."

In fact, Ayers said he didn't even know Obama when he hosted a coffee early in Obama's political career at Ayers' home in the Chicago neighborhood where the two live. Ayers added that he agreed to have the meet-the-candidate event after a state senator asked him to.

"I think he was probably in 20 homes that day as far as I know," he said. "But that was the first time I really met him."

Ayers and Obama also served together on a Chicago school reform board and a foundation board, but their discussions were limited to the issues before those boards.

"The truth is we came together in Chicago in a civic community around issues of school improvement, around issues of fighting for the rights of poor neighborhoods to have jobs, housing and so forth," Ayers said.

Ayers said his name was brought up in the campaign as "this character that was created in this election" to make people fear Obama, but that the election showed the nation rejected what he saw as a tactic.

Ayers also defended his own actions during the Vietnam war.

"Let's remember that what you call a violent past that was at a time when thousands of people were being murdered by our government every month, and those of us who fought to end the war were actually on the right side," he said.

"I never hurt or killed anyone," he said.

[dagrandma]

More controversy surrounded Obama during his bid to be elected than surrounded Clinton during his entire 8 years of the Presidency. That should really be saying something. Where there''''s smoke, there''''s fire. Especially when it is *this* much smoke.
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Posted by deepperppl

If there were any fire you can bet the Republicans would have found it. As for that smoke, that''s what the Republicans tried to blow up everyone''s butt.

[seriously121]

Now I think that''s the funniest thing someone has written. What makes YOU think he wants to be near you. Oh and the best of all is that idiot police offcer in FL that said that they wanted to "leave Barak Hussein Obama standing there wondering What Happened on November 5". Guess what? Who was left there wondering what happened McCain and moreso PALIN? I get a chuckle everytime I think about it. But if they would only go away now and let a real leader run this country...We''d all be better off!!!

------------------------------------------------------
I''''m distancing myself from Obama.
Posted by mr22587 at 08:10 PM : Nov 15, 2008

[wlmrtpatriot]

I''m not blaming the new president for the Actions of Ayers. The election is over.
Ayers is a terrorist (I don''t care who else is nor was) The new president will do well to avoid any association with Ayers. Read Prairie Fire. The man should be in jail not teaching students. Poor little rich boy, I believe some who went to Viet Nam were drafted because they couldn''t afford college and wasn''t deferred.
Some of you who were there could tell me more about that.
William Ayers should be in jail.

[cbs_bull]

By some people''s logic here, are Bush and Cheney terrorists for using lies to start an unjustified war and having thousands of innocent civilians killed? LMAO (Don''t know why. The ABC News doesn''t allow me to post this on their site.)

[nickpr53]

this is the key that most people must truly understand: ayers knew obama as much as he knew thousands of other people. and the man was blasted.. for what? a non-existing, exaggerated relationship. go obama! www.spinwhip.com/obama

[mrnrgmizer]

Who needs secret files? When the records are out there as plain as day...I was a witness to ''''if it feels good do it...'''' brainwashing by these commies and crackheads...

Posted by Rowdydfw

Crack didn''t come around till after the Reagon administration...
Commies there were plenty of....The were not political commies out trying to take over government, only trying to end an illegal and false war in VietNam, and promote love until the feds came.
You make it seem like they all were commies...maybe the corner you hung out at, but not mine...
Things change over time, and many that saw the truth, left quitely and with their tails between their legs.
I was there. I lived in San Francisco. I saw the good times and the bad. What I saw were outsiders taking over the neighborhood to sell narcotics while the people that lived there fought them off to no avail because of a corrupted police force, who conspired with FBI and CIA Operatives working undercover.
But you dont need to see the files....you were the witness to it...hah.

[seah5]

The Date line and Paper trail connects the two from 1988 to present.

In 2003 Mr Ayers publically stated he had the same ideals he had in the past, which were a professed communist and to over throw the US Government. He bombed and terrorized the Country. Would do it again.

Today he tries to tell a different story.

Well all of seen how Mr Obama lied about all his family and Friends. Numerous times, caught in them all. So we know his capiblities to do it.

Mr Ayers a True American Terrorist and readily Admits to it. Americans did die at his hands, even if they were ones, Youth he inducted into to his communist group. He was One of the Leaders, Who declared war on America, plotted and planned to over throw the Government. he would be in jail presently if the gather of information was not botched. So we are sure he is not an honorable person to start with, nor one any American should beleive.

The foolish can buy it, But Any American that cares for their Country Should never trust a Traitor, then, now or ever.

[Stratmaster7]

Posted by FromTexwLove at 08:48 AM

oops.. there is that traitor Rowdy with yet another new SN. rowdy, your girl lost the primary, and then your boy lost the election, and so now you sit there hoping for the demise of your own country.

[Stratmaster7]

what is really scary is there are still people posting on here as if they believe there was ever a tie between the two. Prior to the election, I figured it was all just GOP plants wanting to sway voters. But the election is over and it appears there are actually people naive enough to BELIEVE the BS. Either that, or they just like dark helicopters and conspiracy theories. I suggest they pick up an old Ludlum paperback and quit following politics in the real world.

[downsteamjim]

Ayers must love people who bomb abortion clinics.

[irmcvet97]

Just a publicity move and damage control by barry obama''''s people.

Posted by kevinkkloste at 07:33 AM : Nov 15, 2008


LOL Well IF that''s what it truly is, it sure is working! LOL You poor freaks were lied to for EIGHT LONG years by Rove/Bush and here you are just lapping up MORE lies AFTER that mess! You know I have a DOG smarter than most of you... Honest! She at least will learn after awhile. You poor losers, are NEVER going to get it!! ROFLMAO

[irmcvet97]

So what this scum sucking pinko is openly declaring.....

Chicago is full of thousands of his un-American friends who hate this nation as much as he and NObama do??

I''''ve heard NObama''''s hatred of America is being propagated by hundreds of his scumsucking disciples as far south as the St.Louis area.

Posted by Obama_Dkhed at 05:49 PM : Nov 15, 2008


LOL I guess you didn''t retain a lot of your 6th grades of education did you? You MOST certainly didn''t retain enough to be able to READ and Understand the English Language! Honest! You poor freaks are becoming so embarrassing... crawl back under your rocks and maybe in a Generation or two you can again fool the people into believing that "Trickle Down" will work and that EVERYONE who doesn''t agree with the "Party" are bad people. It''s either that or sit there becoming MORE irrelevant by the day!

[ioweign]

Too bad isn''''t it...the invasion of Iraq didn''''t have anything to do with the Geneva Convention...but please honk on....

Posted by FromTexwLove at 10:20 AM : Nov 15, 2008

The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are part of international humanitarian law %u2013 a whole system of legal safeguards that cover the way wars may be fought and the protection of individuals.

They specifically protect people who do not take part in the fighting (civilians, medics, chaplains, aid workers) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, sick and shipwrecked troops, prisoners of war).

The Conventions and their Protocols call for measures to be taken to prevent (or put an end to) what are known as "grave breaches"; those responsible for breaches must be punished.

The Geneva Conventions have been acceded to by 194 States and enjoy universal acceptance.


#######

Except in Texas...

[misha128-2009]

Bush illegally invaded Iraq , based that debacle on false links to 911 and al Qaeda ------ and committed genocide against hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens.

Fool

Posted by psy_war at 06:24 AM : Nov 15, 2008

You know what you cry baby liberal. This constant lying about President Bush is really getting old.
...
Posted by SocialismSux at 06:46 AM : Nov 15, 2008

A review of the conduct of the war in terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention creates some very interesting questions in this area. The ultimate conclusion of such a review would be interesting and by no means a foregone conclusion.

[socialismsux]

Satanists support Obama. That should tell you something.

Then again, that''''''''s just the way you like it.

Posted by SocialismSux at 06:56 PM : Nov 14, 2008
----------------------------------
--------------------
Where do you get your facts? That Satanists support Obama?
posted by yeswedid

-Because I''ve spoken to several of them on youtube who do. That''s how.


If you can''t see the connection, that''s your problem. I''ve never ran into any satanist on the internet who supports Conservatives.

[evian_ycnan]

He wasn`t disturbing the peace... he was disturbing the war.

[tigerrram9]

True Sarah Palin only brought out Ayers to distract voters from her own faults & lack of experience. Ayers was an activist against the Viet Nam war, not a terrorist. Ayers was an active American speaking out against the government sending many young Americans to their death. We lost too many young men & women in Nam all for what? That is what Bill Ayers was trying to bring to light. Why were we sending so many young Americans to their death? What he did, it was by his own actions. It had nothing to do with Obama. Remember he was only eight years old at the time. How can you blame him for another person''s actions. Blame Sarah for trying to associate Ayers with Obama. That is all she spoke of because she had no experience on the importand issues. She should be considered a terrorist too, because she instilled hatred into her rallies. Was she an activist for her party or terrorist instilling hate? Todd Palin was a member of the Alaska Separatist Party, does that make Sarah a separatist also. Sarah stay home on 2012, we don''t need a person who sleeps with an activist who wants to separate for the USA. Ask Todd if he is an activist or terrorist, he obvious does not like to be called American. He prefers to be known as an Alaskan by his own admission. Well, Levi your future son-in-law he says he is a self proclaimed R**neck, is he an activist expressing his views or a terrorist who hates other human beings. America, we do not need to see the return of Sarah Palin in 2012.

[Michael Arnold]

Nearly 60,000 American soldiers and millions of others, died in Vietnam...for nothing.

Mr. Ayers did what needed to be done. Its called courage.

And afterwards, America learned nothing from it.

[wlmrtpatriot]

Willie Ayers is a true patriot? He is a criminal U.S. citizen and should be in jail. He honors Che, Ho chi minh and Castro. Tossing bombs around is criminal activity?

[birdyspice7]

And McCain doesn''t seem to be too broken up about bombing innocent civilians in Vietnam either.

He states a few years ago that he hates "g**ks" and always will.