Bill Ayers Distances Himself From Obama
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.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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.
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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.
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I''''m distancing myself from Obama.
Posted by mr22587 at 08:10 PM : Nov 15, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.