Chicago Annenberg Challenge Archives To Be Opened

Kurtz gets results:

DENVER -- As the Democratic Party prepares to unleash its presidential nominating convention here, the University of Illinois at Chicago said today that it will release records of Sen. Barack Obama's service to a nonprofit organization linked to William Ayers, a Chicago education professor who was a radical protestor in the 1960s.

Sen. John McCain's allies have been trying to exploit the tie between Obama and Ayers, with a McCain fundraiser donating nearly $2.9 million for an independent TV ad focusing on Ayers, whose Weatherman group took credit for bombings that included nonfatal blasts at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol four decades ago.

The records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge,which Obama chaired and which Ayers co-founded, will be made available to the public on Tuesday, UIC said in a statement.

The National Review magazine had attempted to obtain the records and was told the donor had not cleared their opening. Today, the university said it now has legal authority to allow public access to the material.

Next Tuesday?  Well, no one was going to notice over the weekend anyway, what with the Olympics and the big Biden (or whomever) announcement.  But folks who want a head start will find links to all sort of useful stuff at Steve Diamond's blog (1, 2).  Tax returns provide a list of groups that received donations - my fave so far is the group led by former student radical and Ayers colleague Mike Klonsky.  Just another friend of Barack.

Pete Yost of the AP has friendly coverage, closing with this:

In April, Obama said he "deplored" Ayers' actions in the 1960s and that "by the time I met him, he is a professor of education at the University of Illinois. We served on a board together that had Republicans, bankers, lawyers, focused on education." .

That might give the impression that Obama has been forthright on this topic.  In fact, this comment, made during a Fox News interview, was baffling - Bill Ayers never served on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (he was a co-founder and worked closely with the board as leader of the Chicago School Reform Collaborative but never had a board seat). 

Obama did serve on an education related board with Thomas and John Ayers, Bill's father and brother.  Obama and Bill served on the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago, a charitable board not focused specifically on education.  Obama's comment circles around the truth but never makes a landing.

Regardless, Obama also said this about his relationship with Ayers in the Philadelphia debate a few days before the Fox interview:

This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from.  He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.            

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense, George.                  

People probably did not glean from that response that Obama and Ayers had worked together on a high profile push for education reform for five years.  Or that, bombs notwithstanding, Ayers is an unreconstructed hard leftist with views on education that might rattle a soccer mom (try Ayer's speech to Hugo Chavez down in Venezuela).

And here is what Obama's campaign manager David Axelrod told Ben Smith of The Politico in February:

"Bill Ayers lives in his neighborhood. Their kids attend the same school," he said. "They're certainly friendly, they know each other, as anyone whose kids go to school together."

Not even close.

Michael Barone sees an Ayers problem in Obama's future and wonders "Why Won't the Mainstream Media Question the Obama Narrative?"

And speaking of not questioning, Jim Rutenberg of the NY Times enters the fray with what looks like a self-parody.  When the story broke that a new attack group was running an ad against Obama citing Bill Ayers, I opined that this would "give the MSM an excuse to write ten thousand words deploring shadowy attack groups while devoting half a sentence to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge."  I was wrong twice - the Times only devotes a few thousand words to probing shadowy Republican attack groups and does not mention the Chicago Annenberg Challenge at all.  Here is their coverage of the Obama-Ayers connection, from the closing three paragraphs:

Mr. Ayers, now a professor of education in Chicago, was a founder of the Weather Underground, which bombed government buildings in the early 1970s. He was indicted on conspiracy charges that were thrown out for prosecutorial misconduct.

He served with Mr. Obama on the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago, a charitable organization, and, along with his wife, the former Weather Underground member Bernardine Dohrn, hosted Mr. Obama at their home in 1995 when he was running for state office.

Mr. Obama has called Mr. Ayers “somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old.”

Times reporters are in for a series of surprises, although their readers may not be.  Well, unless they get their news elsewhere than the Times.

Comments

[Elroy Jetson]

Before we get excited about this, I have to say that as of right now, they have about 80 hours to remove the most incriminating bits. After all the library has Daley's name on it.

[JM Hanes]

I see the release comes tidily packaged in Swift Boat wrapping paper. I suppose it's too much to hope for that names and "confidential salary" information (i.e. the central facts) haven't been redacted, or that it will be apparent where (or when!) such redactions have been made. The forensics here may be formidable!

[JM Hanes]

BTW, TM: Hope you've had a chance to see the kudos for your PJM piece dotted about in recent threads. It's a terrific piece.

[JM Hanes]

Never mind, TM. It's hard to top a link from Michael Barone!

[Elroy Jetson]

What JM said.
I read it too. Well done Tom.

Why not allow access on Monday? Is it a state holiday in Illinois or something?
It is an awful lot of documents. I don't want to give the library the benefit of the doubt after they stopped Kurtz in his tracks.

[Buford Gooch]

OT, but Drudge just made it official that it's Biden

[Buford Gooch]

All that needs to be done is to needle Biden until he gets mad. he has said himself that he exaggerates when he gets mad. He's like Obama's gaffe Yoda.

[pagar]

Good morning to All!
To light things up today, Larry Johnson is running an article where "Biden says Obama is Not Ready "

LUN = Link under name

If that doesn't catch your eye, the next article they have shows a letter to stations (From the Obama Lawyers) asking them not to run the Obama - Ayers ad, because it upsets the Democrats to have their candidates linked to terrorists every time they run someone for president.

[Jane]

Morning Pagar,

I can't believe I got up this early for Biden. How pathetically unexciting. I guess this is what happens when you have no one left on the bench.

[pagar]

Morning Jane,
I think you're right,maybe the Democrats should consider it a wakeup call.

[Jane]

Apparently they all got woken up at 4:28 EST - talk about the most botched VP announcement in history.

[bgates]

Ironically, I woke up at about 4:30 for no good reason myself. I decided to see if His Oneness had picked a lead disciple yet, and pulled up Instapundit for the latest word.

I saw the bolded names in this item and about fell off my couch.

[centralcal]

Good morning. Joe Biden. Well, this ought to be a lot of fun! So much for the Obamabots being the first to know. I guess Weekly Standard broke the news relatively early last night. Good for them.

I think JMH is spot on about the release of the documents.

[pagar]

"Why not allow access on Monday?"
My guess is that when we finally get a reporter into to the besieged area, we will learn that the DNC sent their crack 1st Shredder Brigade into Denver in case the PUMAs got to close to the Obama birth certificate. Then the union people in Chicago wouldn't let their shredder operators work overtime, and of course, (just like the buses in New Orleans during Katrina) shredders are useless without operators. I would expect that by now the DNC is calling out for Volunteers with shredders to report to the area where the break was reported and that they expect the entire area to be shredded by Tues at 0700.

[Rick Ballard]

I doubt that we'll see a smoking gun coming from this. Kurtz has the finding aid and will be able to tell if complete files have been pulled but I don't see why they would be.

Ayers and Klonsky actually worked in the "light" - their objectives were clear, as were their methods. The objectives never included educating students in the manner which the general public understands education and that's the point which will be very difficult for Kurtz to put accross.

It's like "community organizer" - a vague but "good" sounding pair of words. Until you understand that Obama was working to organize the community into cells of commies.

It may be that the most effective approach to CAC is to emphasize Obama's failure to achieve any progress in what the general public perceives to be the goals of education rather than to stress the commie aspects.

What he and Ayers did to the children in the guise of working for the children is bad enough. It may be effective to repeat the terrorist and commie bit along the road but "failure as an executive" is easier to communicate and the rebuttal to the "terrorist and commie" bit is going to be "look at what those meanie Rebublicans are saying about The One".

We all know that Obama is most comfortable among racists, terrorists, commies and felons but communicating that fact to the awakening Muddle is going to be a rather delicate task.

I believe "he failed the children" is the better place to start. Then add in "'cause he's a racebaiting commie who's happiest when surrounded by terrorists and thieves". IMHO

[RichatUF]

Rick-

I believe "he failed the children" is the better place to start. Then add in "'cause he's a racebaiting commie who's happiest when surrounded by terrorists and thieves". IMHO

That's going on the to steal list.

And the legacy media is drooling on themselves this morning about the Biden choice.

[George K]

At a minimum that files will be able to show that Ayers was more than just a guy who lives in the neighborhood and as a bonus the "education" project may be shown as a complete failure. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

How can you be sure it's about Biden? The media drooling on themselves is an indicator of sunrise AFAIK.

Biden will be an ineffective attack Chihuahua - Beldar pegs him out of the gate. He's a yapper and a camera hog (I'd like to see him slug it out with Schumer for face time) but he's one of the dumbest Senators now sitting.

He'll get in some nasty little bites, without a doubt. He will also say a number of things which will have to be retracted within hours of utterance.

I dunno if there's going to be any room at all under Obama's bus when #2 gets going.

[GMax]

Joe Biden, the guy who only gets one question in any committee hearing, simply because he just meanders all over the place and talks and talks and talks without ever saying very much at all? That Joe Biden?

Why do you think they call him Slow Joe Biden anyway? I dont think he is an Olympic sprinter, so what could the reference means? I am stuck!

[Pofarmer]

Why would you pick someone who has twice run for President, and in the last run faired so poorly he dropped out after Iowa?

Did Barry just need any ole white guy? Then, you have not one, but TWO sitting Senators running on the same ticket????? When Congress has a 9% approval rating or whatever? That's just nuts.

I've heard lot's of postulation lately on a McCain/Romney ticket. Given this pick, I think that's about unbeatable.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

A commenter at Patterico's came up with a real keeper - Obama bin Biden has an interesting ring.

[Ann]

Good Morning JOM,

All you need to know today is that Sean Penn picked Joe Biden a month ago according to Laurence O'Donnell on MSDNC this morning. You can't make this carp up!

I can't wait to see the Osama Binladen bumperstickers...I mean the Obama Binden...Obama Biden...nevermind.

I predict the people of Iraq will tell us to leave pronto before Biden divides them into three countries.

[Captain Hate]

Has anybody ever thought to interview the Annenberg family to find out what they thought about throwing all that money away on the Challenge and getting nothing but a bunch of radicals getting paid? I know Walter Annenberg died in 2002 but I recall the family of the founder of A&P Supermarkets getting extremely upset at Princeton (iirc) using the mega-jack that he'd given them for purposes contrary to what he'd intended (more to financing leftest garbage: SHOCKA) and took them to court to get it returned. Maybe Annenberg's offspring are a buncha trust-fund soaks but if any of them had a bit of sense they'd be royally upset at how the good intentions were squandered.

Again, the MSM shows a remarkable lack of curiosity.

[Captain Hate]

leftest == leftist

Preview can only do so much....

[clarice]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDVUPqoowf8&e

[Charlie (Colorado)]

leftest == leftist

Leftest seems perfectly sensible.

[Ranger]

Unfortunately, the most interesting things will still be unavailable, the audits and the records of the initial discussions that lead to the set up of CAC. Those are where the real treasuer will be found, especially the discussions, because there you will find clear evidence of the close relationship between Ayers and Obama.

[clarice]

ranger-why do you say that? Aren't there minutes and financial records included in this?
Wouldn't the minutes reveal a lot?

[Ranger]

Clarice,

You are right about what they would reveal, but the original finding aid that the library sent already indicated that those specific files were restricted. The records of the initial meetings may be easier to open, as they are simply labeled "consent", which means you need writen concent from everyone who was at the particular meeting to see the contents of the file (at least that is what Kurtz said in his original post about all of this). Just getting the list of people at those meetings will be sufficent to put Ayers and Obama in the same room quite often discussing school reform (exchaning ideas as it were) though.

I don't know why the audits are sealed, that must have been a condition of the original gift. I am sure they were private, interenal audits, so I doubt there is any legal way to open them.

[BobS]

Pagar...thanks for the LJ link. I can't believe that creepy bastard is actually helping us. Boy must he really be a Clintonista

[kim]

I don't fault Larry's loyalty. Look what he did for Val.
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[bad]

He must have a thing for blonds.

[kim]

He has a thing, alright. I miss the old Larry, the ALLCAPS abuse and the banning, which would slip after awhile. There's actually a lot of talent there. If it just weren't for his 'things'.
===================================

[cathyf]

The best part about destroying the records is that if CAC did accomplish anything of value it will be impossible for them to claim this without letting out all of the other stuff.

After Obmama's friends pray their prayer of "give us this day our daily shred" what's left is nothing -- people understand the concept of "pissing $160 million down a rathole," and that's the best Obama is going to be able to come up with.

[kim]

The Old Grey Lady lies again about the Swifties in an article about Harold Simmons and the Ayers ads.
=========================================

[battery]

The Old Grey Lady lies again about the Swifties in an article about Harold Simmons and the Ayers ads.

[sophy]

I do not know how to use the Hellgate gold ; my friend tells me how to use.