Obama Responds On Ayers

Obama has an ad up "responding" to the criticism of his relationship with Bill Ayers.  Left unanswered:

1.  Why has he been covering this up before now? 

Obama's campaign manager David Axelrod told The Politico in February that

"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."

Obama told George Stepanopolous during the Democratic debate in Philadelphia that

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.

The so-called "Fact Check" at the Obama website does not disclose that Obama and Ayers worked together on a failed education reform project from 1995 to 2001, and had probably first teamed up on education reform in 1987.          

ADDENDUM:  In May the NY Times had this (my emphasis):

Mr. Obama also fit in at Hyde Park’s fringes, among university faculty members like Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, unrepentant members of the radical Weather Underground that bombed the United States Capitol and the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. Mr. Obama was introduced to the couple in 1995 at a meet-and-greet they held for him at their home, aides said.

Not likely - per the workings of the political calendar the meeting would have been in the second half of 1995.  Obama and Ayers had surely met by March of 1995 when the Chicago Annenberg Challenge had its first board meeting.

2.   Set aside the fact that Obama was a mere lad when Ayers was setting bombs; today Ayers is an unreconstructed hard-left radical with dramatic views on education and society - as he explained to Hugo Chavez during a speech in Venezuela in 2006, "La educacion es revolucion!"

Obama worked for five years with Bill Ayers on education reform while they were both with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.  Are we being asked to believe that, just as Obama initially claimed to have been unaware of Jeremiah Wright's views, he was also unaware of Ayers current radicalism?

Coming soon - "That's not the Bill Ayers I knew".

So why the cover-up?  We can't know, since at this point we don't know the full extent of the Obama/Ayers relationship.  But at a minimum, I expect that the campaign is uncomfortable with the reality that their man of almost non-existent executive experience was in fact chairman of a high-profile belly-flop in education reform.  I doubt that soccer moms or anyone else will be thrilled to learn that Obama hung with unapologetic terrorists, talked about school reform, and achieved nothing.

MORE:  Headscratching and huzzas from the right side of the blogosphere - no one can see how promoting this story helps Obama.

Here we go - Team Obama is filing with the DoJ to squash dissent. 

Jim Geraghty is pleased that Obama characterizes Ayers as a "radical".

Jennifer Rubin calls it "the biggest goof yet".

AllahPundit says thank you to Team Obama.

THE AD:  A transcript might be here at TIME but the page won't load for me.

NO RADICAL LEFT BEHIND:  One of the first education reform grants made by the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was to former SDS leader turned Maoist Mike Klonsky, a friend of Bill Ayers from back in the day who had a blog at the Obama site until he was outed.

Comments

[Charlie (Colorado)]

A little more link whoring here: See me being Michelle Malkin's boyguard.

[Captain Hate]

Keep thinking you've got a killer issue here. You don't.

Keep thinking we regard your opinion highly. We don't.

[The Ace]

What happened here? Any investigations? Any hint of wrongdoing? Any evidence of anything untoward, other than the wild speculations of alot of wingnuts?

Hilarious.

Um, so this means you are perfectly ok with your preferred Presidential candidate hanging out with someone who wanted to blow up the Pentagon?

Right?

Keep thinking you've got a killer issue here. You don't

Keep thinking the American public will vote for a person who hangs out with terrorists (and hate America, hate whitey "reverends").
They won't.

[GMax]

When you fumble the ball into the endzone on 2nd down, you lose even the ability to run another play or even kick a field goal. By far the most disastrous and costly mistakes in football.

Obama just fumbled the ball into the endzone on first down. I think they let the "we wont get swiftboated again" crowd call the shots on this one, which will be a disaster. I dont remember the SDS ( student for a Democratic Society or their radical's radical offshoot the Weather Underground ) being soft and cuddly like Michelle's kids!

[The Ace]

Here is Obama's friend Bill Ayers in action.

There is nothing 'untoward' about him, right?

Clown.

[boris]

... further his career...

What career would that be ??? Crypto-Cipher ???

The kinds of careers that are helped by the likes of Wright and Ayers don't inspire confidence in claimed benefits to society.

[Sue]

Keep thinking you've got a killer issue here.

Well, all right and thanks!

But before you fly the coop, can you explain to us why Obama doesn't use his experience with the CAC as a resume booster? Since his resume is kind of thin to begin with, it sure looks odd that he left off anything he had ever done.

[The Ace]

At this point in 2004 John Kerry led in every single poll. Now?

Obama’s support has declined in each of the last three individual nights of polling. This may be either statistical noise or a reaction to the selection of Biden. If it’s the latter, it probably has less to do with Biden than Hillary Clinton. Forty-seven percent (47%) of Democratic women say Clinton should have been picked and 21% of them say they’ll vote for McCain.

McCain is viewed favorably by 57% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 53% (see trends). Clinton is viewed favorably by 47%

Keep thinking Obama is going to win.
He won't.

[MikeS]

Why was Ayers attracted to Obama? What was it about Obama that drew people like Ayers to him? Why would Ayers make Obama Chairman of his pet foundation?

[Great Banana]

Appalled:

I think Tom believes that the Ayers association says something important about Obama. I confess that I don't see it. Obama is not a radical by personality or approach, though he is certainly well to my left. I also don't think associations don't really tell us much about him. Ayers appears to have been useful to Obama in his early career. But Obama, I think, would have associated with -- say Tom Maguire -- if that would have advanced him in his career. In his politics, he's a realist, not a Wilsonian neoconservative.

Isn't the problem that nobody knows what Obama really believes? Thus, looking to what his associates believe in an effort to determine what Obama believes is not all that unreasonable. Also, the very fact that Obama has been completely untruthful about this relationship tends to ring alarm bells.

Moreover, his many and long relationships with radicals, marxists, etc., is telling. It would be one thing if this were the only such relationship with a radical. Then, it would make some sense to chalk it up to the sentiment "oh well, it was simply a political necessity at the time and it's hardly like they were friends, they were just on the same board."

Instead we have a very revealing pattern of such associates by Obama.

I also don't understand the left's anger over this - if they really believe that this is not a real issue, that it does not hurt Obama and that only us nutjob wingers care, why the fuss? Obviously, those on the left realize that this is a real problem for Obama. Else he would not have a response ad. And, the caterwauling about this issue by leftward commentors would not be so pitched.

[Sue]

My God Charlie. That is the freakiest thing I've ever seen. How did Michelle keep from sucker punching that SOB? I would have.

[Sue]

BTW, which one are you Charlie?

[bad]

note that neither Ayres nor O sent their kids to public school.

Thats what makes the want to know about their private school so strong. Does the chosen school apply the same theories and practices Obama and Ayers want in public education? I think the whole thing is a great investigative reporting angle.

[Captain Hate]

I think they let the "we wont get swiftboated again" crowd call the shots on this one, which will be a disaster.

Aren't there any adults in charge? Why don't they just admit that their MSM handmaidens ran interference for Kerry by always referring to the Swifty's claims as being "debunked" even though nobody had done that. Despite that people believed the Swiftys because they were honest individuals with no ulterior motives other than to set the record straight based on their experiences. Kerry was just a horrible candidate which the donk strategists seem to have a hard time accepting.

[PeterUK]

20:12 Be under it.

[royf]

Charlie that was scary, Who was the guy doing all the screaming?

[MayBee]

Charlie- are you the 50' tall guy featured the most in that video?

That kind of situation frustrates me so much. The hilarious thing is the constant drumbeat of "love, peace, and justice" in the background.

[Ranger]

Obama comes to Chicago as an outsider. Ayers, who got off for whatever reason, is then in a position of power in the Chicago political scene (deep family connections), and heavily involved in educational issues there, in particular. So Obama works with him.

Posted by: lewp | August 26, 2008 at 11:52 AM

Well, if that were the case, all Obama had to do was come out and say that when the issue first came up. Something along the lines of:

'Look, I know who Bill Ayers is, and what he did in the Weather Underground. Its dispicable. But the reality was, that in 1995, if you wanted to work on improving the failed Chicago school system, he was a man you had to work with.'

The real question is, why didn't Obama say that first off? Why the lies (their children attend the same school??? This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood???), why the avoidance of any mention of the CAC? The problem for Obama is that they are friends. It didn't bother him at all to work closely with Ayers.

[Rick Ballard]

Captain Hate,

Yeah, attempting to suppress The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See is a form of counter based upon Kerry's inability to offer rebuttal to the truth.

Why aren't Obama supporters attempting to rebut The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See rather than suppress it?

That's the question I ask when I link The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See in emails which I send to my entire mailing list.

I haven't had any responses yet. Maybe I should send it out through my church's email server? Somebody must have the answer.

[MayBee]

MikeS- you ask the question I ask. If Obama was a user of people, it's easy to say he didn't agree with anyone he attached himself to, necessarily.
But Obama was young and inexperienced when Ayers and his family chose him. Why they picked him out of all the crazy kids in the world could tell us a lot about Obama.

Appalled- I know you have expressed concern about Obama's foreign policy ideals in the past. His philosphy is of late getting enough massaging to try to fit him in the 'realist' category, but it isn't really apt. Don't you think that's where his Ayers-like tendencies show themselves? America as the aggressor, the not-nice player, the country that thinks it's special and it really isn't?
That's where I see it.

[RichatUF]

Maybee-

"love, peace, and justice"

The only Ministry they left out was truth.

[RichatUF]

Maybee-

"love, peace, and justice"

The only Ministry they left out was truth.

[PeterUK]

twerp,
"palacial vacation home"
Palatial.I was going to castigate you,but you are obviously a victim of the Obama/Ayers perverted education system.

[boris]

I'm guessing Charlie is the large fella in black tee (Darth) with the big "just try it" smile.

[Danube of Thought]

"In the case of Keating it led to an actual formal investigation of McCain's behavior."

A formal investigation which concluded with a finding that McCain had done nothing improper--as opposed to his Democratic colleagues.

But if you want to reduce the debate to associating with Charles Keating as opposed to associating with Ayers, Wright and Pleger, be my guess.

And now let us do a little thought experiment: Imagine that John McCain had had prior associations with the Rev. Pat Robertson that were as close as those of Obama with the three musketeers mentioned above. What would we be hearing from the loons?

[Sue]

That was my guess, too.

[Jane]

Charlie,

Pony tail or dent in the head?

What's with all you moonbats projecting onto our host? Go get a life somewhere else.

[Sue]

They should have been chanting free speech for me but not for thee...I still wonder how Michelle kept her cool.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Most of these people have one foot in the grave and they're sputtering with rage that the 21st century has made them all anachronisms.

Hey, we invented the 21st century so you could sit on your a$$ and do nothing but spout crap you know nothing about. Now, before we get that other foot in the grave, we might, if you grow up and show some sense, leave you the manual in our will. It starts out: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

A formal investigation which concluded with a finding that McCain had done nothing improper--as opposed to his Democratic colleagues.

Correction: John McCain (R) and John Glenn (D) did nothing improper. The other 3 Dems. got reamed.

[PeterUK]

"But Obama was young and inexperienced when Ayers and his family chose him. Why they picked him out of all the crazy kids in the world could tell us a lot about Obama."

Obama is a chameleon,he has an easy charm,photogenic and a great actor.
The left,having spent too long in the wilderness have picked a front man who can schmooze the electorate.
You are looking at Tony Bliar MkII.Bliar the front man for a party of communists,trotskyites,fellow travelers,crooks and mountebanks.
The Devil always comes smiling.

[MikeS]

How did Obama meet and develop a friendship with Ayers' friend Klonsky?

[Danube of Thought]

Charlie, has this video been shown on Denver TV? Has anybody ID'd that fat asshole doing all the yelling?

[boris]

Think it's Alex Jones.

[MayBee]

Obama is a chameleon,he has an easy charm,photogenic and a great actor.

That's all true. And yet...the world has many charming people, not all of whom get plucked up by leftist former terrorists with deep family ties to lead their multi-million dollar projects. He had to have been putting out "I'm open to communist former domestic bombers that hate America" vibes.

[Bob]

I've been a little perplexed after Michelle's speech. It implies that they were married 9 years or so before having their first child. That seems a bit off. Not being judgmental, but why so long? For those that are 'conspiracy-minded', might it be the Dohrn, Ayers, Michelle, and Obama krewe, when grooming Obama for the legislature, decided a 'family man' image would help his resume? That they don't give their children Christmas or birthday presents strikes a bit off, too.

[Bill in AZ]

fat asshole = Alex Jones of infowars.com

[JM Hanes]

My God. I hope Malkin has been taking self defense classes. That's a really frightening tape, and she's one courageous woman.

DoT: Someone thoughtfully asked the guy who he was toward the end of the video, and he gave his name.

[Disgusted]

You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

[Dan]

Obama: Judgment to lead? He certainly has good judgment in choosing his friends: William Ayers, Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko. What a good bunch. Just imagine who he would appoint to the Supreme Court!

[MikeS]

Wow! Disgusted certainly has a nuanced understanding of the facts and issues.

[Marty]

I find it ironic that Obama wants the federal government to launch a criminal investigation of those individuals responsible for the ad linking him to domestic terrorist William Ayers... To me, Obama should have launched his own investigation of Ayers long ago. Lay down with dogs get up with flea's!

[boris]

The real terrorists are afraid of us now.

It's just the morons who don't know any better.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Figures. Michelle Obama Quotes Lines From "Rules For Radicals" In Her DNC Convention Speech

[The Ace]

You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

Keep hope hate alive!

[Porchlight]

OT,

McCain up +2 per Gallup, 46-44. It was exactly tied yesterday and the day before.

This is the first time McCain's taken the lead since June, and also the first time he's broken 45%.

These are not happy trendlines for Obama. Losing his longtime lead during his own convention - ouch. Expect major troll abuse if the polls continue in this vein.

Related WaPo:
For Those From Swing States, The Watchword Is . . . Worry

Sorry if any of this has been posted - I'm catching up from meetings...

[Captain Hate]

You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

Thank you for that honest contribution to the discussion; it is revealing and appreciated.

[ben]

You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

Uh oh, looks like Disgusted is planning to de-mothball Bill Ayers...

[bad]

You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

Mr Ayers, is that you? Is that a coded message for your wife?

[PeterUK]

""I'm open to communist former domestic bombers that hate America" vibes."

Obama did,by his own admission,seek them out.

[PeterUK]

"You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

Posted by: Disgusted "

Thus speaks the true Obama supporter,the Gospel handed down from his father ,Ayers.

[ben]

From Redstate
"Barack Obama sought the New Party's endorsement knowing it was a radical left organization"

This was in 1996. Last night Anonymous Liberal was doggedly trying to portray Obama as "just another mainstream Democrat." Sometime you GET endorsements from people or organizations you would rather pass on, but SEEKING an endorsement implies a certain kinship and sharing of views.

[OCKerouac]

Ummm... So if Bill Ayers is Mr. Scary Terrorist, why is he a college professor and not a prison inmate? Just wondering if maybe you're over stating just a wee bit... Not that angry bloggers have ever been known to do such a thing...

[kim]

Well, because Mark Felt abused his position. You can't make this stuff up, turkey. Wait'll 'Guilty as Sin, Free as a Bird, What a Great Country' hits the meme waves.
========================

[Jane]

why is he a college professor and not a prison inmate

Because the prosecution was dismissed for an illegal wiretap, despite Ayer's admission and his father donated $500,000,000 to the school to hire him.

Why not spend some of your time learning about the issues you find dear before spouting off about them?

[clarice]

Why is his wife teaching at Northwestern Law school?

Hey--no one who hired them is around to answer those questions but Ayres dad was the head of Con Ed, a mighty big player in Chicago at the time and on the NW Booard of Trustees and undoubtedly in a position to help or hurt U of I a lot.

[The Ace]

why is he a college professor and not a prison inmate?

Is this some sort of serious suggestion that those who hate America aren't welcomed on college campuses?

You do understand Ayers was let off on a technicality, right?

As an ignorant dupe, of course you don't.

[PeterUK]

"Ummm... So if Bill Ayers is Mr. Scary Terrorist, why is he a college professor and not a prison inmate? Just wondering if maybe you're over stating just a wee bit.."

If Ayers isn't Mr Scary Terrorist,attempted mass murderer why is Obama trying to distance himself from him?
According to you Ayers has the ideal credentials.

[kim]

It's gonna be worse than jail for him OCKerouac; every parent angry at public education is going to wonder what Bill Ayer's Revolution has to do with the mess we are in with the schools. One irony is that the public schools are worst in the bluest of areas. There's a lot of wellhead pressure built up, and once this pool gets tapped, boy, oh boy, oh 'Bama.
==================================

[goy]

Obama's not really concerned about being tied to a domestic terrorist who did his deeds when O was eight. And that's where he wants to keep this issue - which is the reason he took legal action. Not to suppress it, but to focus on that.

He's desperately afraid that the public will discover his long, close working relationship with someone who's traveled to Venezuela to support Hugo Chavez' corruption of eduction there - and who is doing the same here.

That's why he didn't list the Annenberg Challenge work on his resume - aside from the fact that it demonstrates his only position of executive leadership, ever, was an utter failure.

[Daddy]

Maybe Obama didn't wear a lapel pin because he was worried that Bill, Ayer's, that guy that 'lived in my neighborhood' might come over and stand on his neck once he spotted it was a U.S. Flag.

[Drider]

Anon Liberal

To say that it means nothing that Obama is a friend of Ayers is beyond the pale.

Of course ones association with bad elements is a reflection of their judgment and character, and this goes across the board and always has, it's not something anyone made up to fit Obama.

Ayers is but one example of bad characters that Obama has befriended such as the Reverend, rezko etc...etc.

One of the most basic Liberal veiwpoints is that people are effected by their social surroundings....Why is Obama exempt?

People are encouraged to make informed decisions on who they vote for...so inform them and by all means...If you have verification of Mcain befriending a terrorist then please let me know because for me, that would be the straw that broke the camels back and I in good conceince would not give him my vote....for that fact alone because it is a massive character anomoly.

Lastly, when one canidate tries to "supress" and/or threaten media outlets into not publishing information then that tosses up a huge red flag in most peoples minds...Hey, if it's trumped up lies that Mcain is putting out there than it hurts him, if they aren't lies then let people proccess the information to help them make thier decisions.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Michael Barone connects the dots on how Obama became somebody sent by somebody; Bill Ayers:

How did this outsider from Hawaii and Columbia and Harvard become somebody somebody sent? His wife, Michelle Robinson Obama, had some connections: Her father was a Democratic precinct committeeman; she baby-sat for Jesse Jackson's children; and she worked as a staffer for the current Mayor Daley. Obama made connections on the all-black South Side by joining the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church. But was Obama's critical connection to le tout Chicago William Ayers? That's the conclusion you are led to by Steve Diamond's blog. And by the fact that the National Review's Stanley Kurtz was suddenly denied access to the records of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge by the Richard J. Daley Library at the University of Illinois-Chicago Circle. (Kurtz had already been given an index to the records.) Presumably the CAC records would show a closer collaboration between Ayers and Obama than was suggested by Obama's response at the debate that Ayers was just a guy "in the neighborhood."

[GMax]

Correct this. Ayers got off because some judge thought the wiretap of the conversations where he admits to blowing up the Pentagon and US Capital and a bunch of other things, was somehow illegally obtained.

If that is wrong, correct it. I dont think it is, and Ayers at this point is unrepentant. And repugnant.

[centralcal]

Have you guys already seen and discussed this from Townhall:

ARE KHALID AL MANSOUR AND OBAMA FRIENDS?

LUN

[Judged by the associations we keep]

Think about the Ayers - Obama connection. Most have been focused on why Obama would be friendly, associate, work, etc...with a known terrorist. Take for a moment, the mirror image of this argument. What was it that Ayers, and others, saw in this young man, that would motivate these far, far, left, marxist, aging terrorists to choose to associate with him, or to help launch is political career from their own living room, or to arrange to name him Chairman of their leftist progressive education money grabbing scheme??? What is it, that these folks see, that would make them want to place their bets on an empty suit, blank resume, like Obama? He is a puppet, they know it, and America is just beginning to learn this. Anyone,especially David Axelrod, can work the strings of a puppet, and make it say "hope and change" a few hundred times. Put it back in it's case, and place it on a shelf only to be played for entertainment purposes please. PS - David, nice trick, but how did you get the puppet to look like it was body-surfing???

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Obama's not really concerned about being tied to a domestic terrorist who did his deeds when O was eight.

Oh puhleeze. He was 22, 23, 24, when he was at Columbia seeking out those "white leftists," who just happened to give him his intro to the Chicago radical world by way of a job recommendation. Funny, Ayers was at Columbia too as a "white leftist" and just happened to have the cred to introduce his protege to the Chicago radical world. Obama was given a couple of years to make his stones and convince the leftists that he was a serious student of their lefty agenda. When he passed muster, who is there to step in to introduce the O-man to the next tier, why it was Mr. and Mrs. Ayers kicking off his first campaign.

[GMax]

I am pretty sure that Hugo Chavez will be very high on the list of Obama wants to talk to without preconditions. Bill A can handle the intros, maybe Sean Penn too.

[PeterUK]

"I wrote a letter in support of him to my friends at Harvard saying ot them I thought there was a genius that was going to be available and I sure hoped they would treat him kindly."

Available for what? If Obama was a genius,why did he need "treat(ing) kindly"?

centralcal's link

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Andy McCarthy on Obama Campaign going to DOJ over ad:

The only two cents I'd add is that a real story -- and one that should alarm people -- is that this is what Obama thinks the Justice Department is for. Here is a guy who fought the Patriot Act, fought surveillance reform, has spoken admiringly of Ayer's radical views of the criminal justice system, and has a record as a Chicago legislator of being soft on violent crime. He is evidently ambivalent about going after terrorists and hardened criminals, but he wants to mobilize the Justice Department post haste to suppress political speech that he doesn't like. I regard that as more than a little disconcerting from a guy who wants to be president, pick the next attorney-general, and make U.S. law enforcement policy.

[centralcal]

Also from that link:

"I was introduced to him by a friend who was raising money for him and the friends name was Dr. Khalid al Mansour from Texas. He is the principle adviser to one of the world's richest men."

[Gabriel Sutherland]

There's got to be a mistake here. Is the same Dr. Khalid Al-Mansour that rants about the Jews the same Dr. Khalid al-Mansour that advises Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal on investments and formed the law firm of Al-Waleed, Al-Mansour?

This has to be a mixup.

[The Ace]

For the leftists in denial:

Consider Bernadine Dohrn, Ayers' wife and the co-host of Obama's career-launching fundraiser. When she was in the Weather Underground she was one of those members typically fascinated with Charles Manson . Speaking of Manson's famous murders she exclaimed, "Dig It! First they killed those pigs, then they ate dinner in the same room with them, they even shoved a fork into a victim’s stomach! Wild!” In appreciation, her Weather Underground cell made a threefingered “fork” gesture its official salute.

Why are you excited to vote for a man who hangs out with people like that?

[Gabriel Sutherland]

You know things are bad when pupils of Alinsky like Hillary Clinton are running to the right of the offspring of the pupils of Alinsky in the form of Barack Obama.

Obama has made Hillary look like a moderate.

[Joan]

Disgusted: You people are crazy and I wish a real terrorist would blow up this stupid blog.

I'm still laughing. What a cretin.

[Joan]

Peter UK: 20:12 Be under it.

Is that the train to the Left Coast?
:)

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Oy, planes down all across the country because the "flight plan computer" is down. It is a nationwide problem.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Homeland Security says no terrorism indicated in the failure of the FAA system.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

It is called a "full ground stop." What a mess. Planes lined up like dominoes.

[anon]

TM,

Don't let bozo's like MeTooThen try to snow you about Chicago politics. That poster is a complete idiot, and most likely a total fraud when it comes to understanding Chicago.

Here is what he posted above about "The One's" Senatorial opponent ... 'Daley and the Regular Machine had pushed for Dan Hines'

Anyone from Chicago knows that the family name is spelled HYNES. A quick check at your favorite search engine will find that.

Ayers and Obama are both proud of their radical past. The MSM and Academia and the other fellow travelers are doing their best agit-prop to try and fool the American people.

And so is the bogus poster who posted that crap above.

But just like Dan Rather, they have no real acquaintance with the facts. They just make it up as the go along.

Rezko, Wright and Ayers are Obama's mentors and are indicators of the corruption we have in store for us if he should be elected.

May the eternal one have mercy on our souls if that dreadful event comes to pass.

[JM Hanes]

On the question of what Obama looked like from the Chicago side of the equation, Dan Riehl throws another name into the Obama hopper, from a longer April article in The Nation which should probably be on our reading list:

In 1985, freshly graduated from Columbia University and working for a New York business consultant, Barack Obama decided to become a community organizer. Though he liked the idea, he didn't understand what the job involved, and his inquiries turned up few opportunities.

Then he got a call from Jerry Kellman, an organizer working on Chicago's far South Side for a community group based in the churches of the region, an expanse of white, black and Latino blue-collar neighborhoods that were reeling from the steel-mill closings. Kellman was looking for an organizer for the new Developing Communities Project (DCP), which would focus on black city neighborhoods.

Riehl includes some background and some other names. Considering where The Nation's sympathies lie, it occurs to me that it might be worth sifting their archives to fill in some of the blanks.

[clarice]

Kellman was an alinksy organizer who after 20 years converted to Catholicism and works still in Chicago--he was supposed to be a speaker at the convention Mon night and he is the guy who told Obama he had to join a church to be an effective organizer in Chicago.

http://dancingfromgenesis.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/monday-night-speaker-jerry-kellman-democrat-national-convention-denver-chicago-community-organizer-mentored-hired-barack-h-obama-accolytes-of-saul-alinsky-rules-for-radicals-developing-communities-pr/>Kellman

[JM Hanes]

David Freddoso reminded me of something worth noting:

At the Saddleback Forum two weeks ago, Obama was asked to name one time when he had acted against his own or his party’s interests for the good of the nation. He responded by citing his work with John McCain on ethics reform — work that in fact never occurred.

As others have done, Freddoso points out that he and McCain actually clashed on the ethics bill but virtually no one has commented on the fact that Obama frames this as acting against his own party's interests. Ironically, of course, Obama saluted smartly when his Democratic elders told him to disengage, but while the Dems had their own bill in the works, it certainly seems inartful to imply that Democrats opposed ethics reform -- especially when you've got high profile, bacon bearing, pols like Murtha & Byrd on board (not to mention Jefferson). For someone whose record on earmarks is as clean as John McCain's, I should think there's a pretty decent soundbyte there. In an item at The Corner, linking to his piece on what ethics reform in Illinois looks like, Fredosso also notes:

Obama gave Jones a last-minute shot at a convention speech last night. People are focusing on how he nearly blew it with his "Uncle Tom" remarks. I focus instead on the laughable remarks that Jones made on Illinois ethics reform. Soon, he will retire, and thanks to the Illinois ethics bill he let Obama play on in 1998, he will be able to roll $578,000 from his campaign account into his personal bank account.

Can Obama manage to produce even one mentor without ethical or political problems?

[JM Hanes]

Clarice:

Ryan Lizza seemed to accord that honor to Toni Preckwinkle

On issue after issue, Preckwinkle presented Obama as someone who thrived in the world of Chicago politics. She suggested that Obama joined Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ for political reasons. “It’s a church that would provide you with lots of social connections and prominent parishioners,” she said. “It’s a good place for a politician to be a member.”

Perhaps Preckwinkle was just advising him on which church was his best bet -- which would tend to imply that he was asking around.

[Jane]

OT Question: Is Pelosi's speakership up in January?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Jane, I think they vote on Speaker with each new Congress. Or reconfirm. If the dems keep going like they're going and the Congressional numbers hover around the 9% approval mark, the point may be moot as Repubs will take over and elect their own Speaker.

[Jane]

I see no hope of the dems taking over.

[Jane]

Let me rephrase. I see no hope of the right taking over.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Fox reporting and showing copies of Minutes of Obama and Ayers at the same meetings of the CAC. They say that reporters from every media outlet are at the library pouring over 140 boxes of docs.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Tom Maguire should get the credit on keeping CAC alive. I know others have picked up the ball and are running with it, but TM was first and the most persistent from way back when.

[clarice]

Yes, he was.
Our Glorious Leader firstest with the mostest---again.

[PeterUK]

Jane,
"I see no hope of the dems taking over."

You were right first time,the Democrat perty has gone.

[Jim Rhoads aka vnjagvet]

How long before the minutes go online?

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Nothing really new at this link, but I'll give Malkin the Gold for the best nickname: The Paper Caper.

The latest on the Annenberg Obama/Ayers paper caper

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Jim: I think we'll have to wait to hear from Kurtz. He wasn't sure he would be able to get immediate photocopies or not.

On the news, they showed a partial page of Minutes, with signatures next to names of those in attendance like Bill Ayers. Obama clearly listed as Chairman.

[Jim Rhoads aka vnjagvet]

I saw that, Sara. It sure looked genuine. The Chicago Sun Times has a brief note on the press gaggle's review. LUN

[JM Hanes]

Jane, This one's for you from Michael Graham:

Tonight, Gov. Deval Patrick will address the DNC, and comparisons between him and Barack Obama are unavoidable. In fact, the joke from Massachusetts is that Gov. Patrick’s going to give a speech so good, you’ll enjoy it even more when Barack Obama gives it on Thursday.


[Danube of Thought]

Nice to have Disgusted join us here in the marketplace of ideas.

The GOP will lose perhaps six Senate seats, and it will lose quite a few in the House. As for Pelosi, there have to be a lot of Dems who recognize how she harms their brand, but she's vicious enough that anyone mounting a challenge is going to be taking a huge risk.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Gustav(f)? barreled into Haiti today and is expected to gain power as it enters the Gulf. Gas prices already rising by $5 bbl. and expected to rise at the pump over Labor Day.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Via Newsbusters:

From page 17 of today's Financial Times, "US drillers to get $1bn court award" comes news of how federal government red tape often holds up oil companies for drilling on leases they've already sunk billions of dollars into (emphasis mine):

A US federal appeals court ruled yesterday that 11 oil and gas companies should receive more than $1bn awarded to them in 2006 after the government effectively changed the terms of leases to drill off the California coast.

The US Court of Appeals was upholding a 2006 ruling that the government had breached the leases when changes in federal law materially interfered with the companies' efforts to develop the oil and gas reserves off California.

The case points to the difficulties US oil and gas companies have developing oil and gas resources in the US.

Even when acreage is legally open to production, restrictive regulations about how properties can be developed have made it impossible for companies to follow through.

The US government had estimated the area contained more than 1bn barrels of oil equivalent.

Politicians have been critical of the industry for pushing for Senator John McCain's proposal to open up protected areas off the coast of Florida, saying they have yet to develop all the property currently open to production.

The industry can point to this case as a good example of why not all leased properties in the US are under development.