Fax Claims Obama Wouldn't Qualify As Presidential Bodyguard

CBS News' Ward Sloane passes along word of an anti-Obama blast fax that just arrived into the DC newsroom. Here's what it said:

"Now isn't this something to think about! If Barack Obama would apply for a job with the FBI or with the Secret Service, he would be disqualified because of his past association with William Ayers, a known terrorist. If he is elected President he would not qualify to be his own body guard!"

There was no identification or trace on the fax.

As it turns out, the Web site PolitiFact recently looked into this allegation after receiving a chain email that made the same claim. The FBI and Secret Service did not comment on whether the claim was accurate, but the site spoke to outside experts to ascertain its truthfulness.

And their conclusion was that it is not true. Obama, the experts said, would not have to disclose his (relatively tenuous) connection to Ayers, since he was not a member of the former Weatherman's organization and did not engage in terrorist activities.

But the relationship could still come up in a background investigation. Even if it did, two of the experts cited said, it would likely pose little problem for Obama. The third expert suggested it was "something they would investigate."

Even that expert, security-clearance lawyer Mark Riley, said the relationship would not disqualify Obama, however.

"The issue is what is Obama's relationship with him in his adult life," he told PolitiFact. "If he didn't have one, other than they sat on a board and maybe had the same political causes, that's not enough to deny a fellow a clearance."