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November 13, 2008
Ayers: Obama was 'family friend'
In a new afterword to his memoir, 1960s radical William Ayers writes that the campaign controversy over their relationship was an effort by Obama's political enemies to "deepen a dishonest narrative" about the candidate.
(Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
New afterword to 2001 book, Ayers describes Barack Obama as 'family friend'
In a new afterword to his 2001 book, Bill Ayers, former leader of the 1960s radical group Weather Underground, describes President-elect Barack Obama as a “family friend” and denies he wished his group had set off more bombs in the 1960s.
Ayers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, adds few new details about his relationship with Obama in the afterword to Fugitive Days: Memoirs of an Anti-War Activist. The book is being reissued this month.
“We had served together on the board of a foundation, knew one another as neighbors and family friends, held an initial fund-raiser at my house, where I’d made a small donation to his earliest political campaign,” he writes.
But right-wing commentators tried to use those connections to smear Obama, he says.
“Obama’s political rivals and enemies apparently saw an opportunity to deepen a dishonest narrative about him, that he is somehow un-American, alien, linked to radical ideas, a closet terrorist, a sympathizer with extremism,” Ayers wrote.
Obama described their relationship:
Obama said Ayers is "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" and not someone who has endorsed him or talked to him regularly.
"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," Obama said.
He has also said that Ayers is “not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis.”
Ayers wrote the new afterword on July 8, 2008, a day when he writes he saw a 1960s-style bumper sticker “all tie-dyed and psychedelic,” and heard “Give Peace a Chance” on the radio. He begins the afterword with a quote from Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”: “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds.’’
It’s “d]eja vu all over again,” Ayers writes.
Ayers is scheduled to appear for a live interview Friday on ABC's “Good Morning America.’’
Wild Thing's comment........
Rocks just keep getting moved and Obama's friends crawl out from under them.
Posted by Wild Thing at November 13, 2008 07:55 PM
Comments
Oh so now Ayres admits it, after the fact! Sometime we all knew, but so many turned a blind eye to. Well, it's gonna be tough, but we're tougher. I've been down before. I can make it. We'll be fine. That's my motto--Bend, don't break.
Ayres is a sorry sob who should be rotting in prison right now for what he did, but no... he gets a cushy high paying job and kept an honest citizen out of it.
Posted by: Lynn at November 13, 2008 08:19 PM
Lynn, yes haha as if we didn't know it.
Your right Lynn, too many turned a blind eye and even made fun of being told the truth. It will now be something to see the media twist this around in favor again for their leader Obama.
I agree Ayers should be rotting in prison with his wife in one too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 13, 2008 11:25 PM
Barack Obama lying about his friendship with Bill Ayers and giving him a pass as a domestic terrorist by referring to him as a respected professor will only encourage others to commit domestic terrorism in protest to Obama's anti-American socialist agenda. What's OK for Bill Ayers to do is OK for others to do too.
Posted by: Les at November 14, 2008 12:53 AM
The left-wingbats will tell you in Hollyweirdoville that "George W. Bush had Vlad 'KGB' Putin over to his ranch where he saw his soul.... and that Charles Manson is a reformed chapel aid at Vacaville Prison?" 2 Timothy 3:1-9 says it all for what's up is now down and what's evil is now good....
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at November 14, 2008 05:24 AM
It will be interesting to see how President-elect Obama treats Bill Ayers-like domestic terrorism against military facilities such as recruiting stations committed by those holding him accountable for not IMMEDIATELY withdrawing (as promised) all troops fighting our illegal and immoral wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just imagine protests in the streets, "Obama lied, soldiers died."
Bill Ayers will be the presidential approved model for other domestic terrorists who will identify themselves as "respected (fill in occupation)".
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Posted by: Les at November 14, 2008 07:46 PM
