McCain Campaign: Obama’s Questionable Associations
[Guest post by DRJ]
Following up on Stanley Kurtz’s article on William Ayers and the Annenberg Challenge records, this Rich Lowry post at National Review Online suggests the McCain campaign believes now is a good time to discuss Obama’s questionable associations:
“… if Barack Obama wants to have a discussion about truly questionable associations, let’s start with his relationship with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, at whose home Obama’s political career was reportedly launched. Mr. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group responsible for countless bombings against targets including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and numerous police stations, courthouses and banks. In recent years, Mr. Ayers has stated, ‘I don’t regret setting bombs … I feel we didn’t do enough.’
“The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama’s relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?”
—McCain spokesman Brian Rogers”
H/T Dmac.
— DRJ
These records will be released about the same time Kerry signs that Form 180.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/20/2008 @ 4:28 pmSo you’re saying there’s a chance?
DRJ (a5243f) — 8/20/2008 @ 4:36 pmSo you are a Dumb & Dumber fan too ?!
JD (5f0e11) — 8/20/2008 @ 4:40 pmPretty smart of McCain’s campaign to make a high profile charge like this — it puts the UIC custodians of the charity’s public records on notice to safeguard the records and embarrasses the MSM who have been covering this up for months.
capitano (211a15) — 8/20/2008 @ 4:42 pmYou have just stolen the entire thesis of a long post I was planning on this CAC/Obama/Ayers subject with the exact same hook — that the McCain camp thinks this is a great time to turn up the temp. on this issue, and it may boil over in the aftermath of the conventions.
WLS (26b1e5) — 8/20/2008 @ 4:56 pmWLS,
There is always the hook that this was all and always known by the Chicago Tribune – owner of the LA Dog Trainer.
Just as Obama’s snuggling into slumlord Tony Rezko’s vest pocket was all and always known. The Tribune does an even greater disservice to the citizens of Chicago than does the LAT to the citizens of LA.
The story isn’t really CAC – the story is how far the editors of major news organizations will go to bury the truth. Edwards, Clinton or Obama – all the same. Kilpatrick (fils), Conyers or Kilpatrick (mere) – same thing.
It won’t stop until the news companies are driven into bankruptcy and the crooked pols whom they cover for are driven from office. The nice thing is that we may be closer to the end than the beginning. Not much closer, perhaps, but still closer.
Rick Ballard (0a8990) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:09 pmWLS,
Your posts are always full of red meat. Think of this as the appetizer.
DRJ (a5243f) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:14 pmYes, JD. I’m relieved you got it. I was afraid it would just sound … well, dumb.
DRJ (a5243f) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:16 pmWLS, you better go ahead and make your post (please). No one minds a little repetitiveness in the name of discussion.
I was wondering why more hay wasn’t being made of this. Perhaps Mccain was waiting to make an attack during the democratic convention that he knows he will win, and he knows will get lots of attention. Spoiling the democratic convention is his best hope of winning the election, since they are going first. He does have all that money he has to spend soon.
Juan (4cdfb7) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:17 pmDRJ and JD – “That was a risk we were willing to take.”
Apogee (366e8b) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:27 pmDRJ – You can count on me to appreciate sophomoric humor. I thought Carey should have received an Academy Award for that masterpiece. Nice birdie. Pretty birdie.
JD (5f0e11) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:32 pmCount me in on the indictment of the Trib’s coverage regarding Obama’s past associations. Once they went into the tank by unsealing Jack Ryan’s (GOP candidate for Senate) divorce records, their pretense of objectivity was untenable. When Obama next held his “clear the air” talk with all of the major media outlets in town less than a year ago, I had no doubt that they’d fall for his BS hook, line and sinker. Their inevitable sinking into the tar pits is unfortunate and was preventable, but also predictable.
Dmac (874677) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:40 pmMcCain could create a whole ad series of Obama’s questionable associations, running one a week from now until the election. It would be fresh material each week, distracting for the Messiah, and that way he wouldn’t have to sully himself with fake accusations about McCain impugning his patriotism anymore. Did anybody find the citation for that btw? Isn’t it like Obama’s fake allegations of racism?
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/20/2008 @ 5:41 pmCommented on the Kurtz article earlier:
Interesting, if perhaps a bit over-heated. He could’ve said what was in the Chancellor’s CAC folder from 1995 he was given access to, but it wasn’t damning enough and so had to instead go for the sensationalistic angle of a big bad Obama / Ayers cover up. As if Obama was in the Weather Underground himself and a bomb building terrorist.
As for his tedious self-righteous implication that all libraries must give access to all their holdings, at all times, or they’re somehow acting unethically, he’s entirely mistaken, many libraries have special collections that are limited in access to the public. And usually for completely worthwhile reasons. Perhaps if he refrained from being so pushy they would be a bit more responsive in the manner he seems to require. I have no doubt that the material will be made available to him. Most libraries will do all they can to accommodate such requests if possible, also, there’s nowhere it’s written that a donor’s wish to remain anonymous cannot be honored, so he’s wrong there as well. It’s evident that these materials were given to the UIC library to make them available to a wider audience, otherwise they wouldn’t have been donated in the first place. But of course all he sees is cover up and conspiracy and being hindered from the magic silver bullet that will fall Obama. Sigh.
On the other hand, we have something called the Freedom of Information Act in regard to government records and the Navy has yet to release all of McCain’s service file having made available only a paltry 19 pages of very basic information on May 5th of this year. One would hope there would be more. But alas, the rights and respect that apply to McCain, do not applicable to Barack Obama because the desperation and hunger on the Right to uncover him as the warped myth they’ve created in their own minds is so great.
Anyhow we’ll just have to see what comes of this Kurtz thing. For now he has no proof of there being a cover up no matter how much he rails against the UIC library system. So it’s wrong to assert that that is the case.
End
———————
It seems there is no end to the crap the RNC will use to try and create an issue out of nothing.
Peter (e70d1c) — 8/20/2008 @ 6:29 pmThe effectiveness of this line of “attack” will be gauged by how vehemently it is declared a “non-issue.”
M. Jacques du Klompus (b796b4) — 8/20/2008 @ 7:11 pmAnd I say Kingpin is the Farrelly Bros. best film.
M. Jacques du Klompus (b796b4) — 8/20/2008 @ 7:12 pm#15 – Flossin? Where’d I get Munson?
Apogee (366e8b) — 8/20/2008 @ 7:24 pmThe Munson.
And “We don’t have a cow. We have a bull.”
DRJ (a5243f) — 8/20/2008 @ 7:24 pmI like when they step into the bowling alley and declare, “It’s pretty intimidating being in the presence of all these world class athletes.” Although for bowling nothing tops Big Lebowski and the bowling alley scene in Buffalo 66 with Gallo, Jan Michael Vincent, and the once shapely Christina Ricci.
M. Jacques du Klompus (b796b4) — 8/20/2008 @ 7:26 pmMcCain needed to wait until a certain level of reality set in with the voting public. Until very recently, BHO was seen as just a nice guy, who may be a little inexperienced. Kid gloves were needed lest racism be invoked (right, JD?).
Now, I sense the tide has finally gone out and the public has seen the detritus left behind. BHO is now seen by more folks as foolish and ambitious and his favorable metrics are reflecting this.
I am loving McCain’s new campaign narrative. Let’s see if he blows it by picking a “moderate” VP.
Ed (ddaac8) — 8/20/2008 @ 8:05 pmNice spin Peter, but that all you have. Stick to UIC instead of moving the goalposts.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/20/2008 @ 9:12 pmWhich is more than Kerry gave us… Did you have a problem with THAT not being released?
Scott Jacobs (d3a6ec) — 8/20/2008 @ 10:28 pmHelp me Rhonda, I agree with both #21 and #22.
Peter’s comment at #14 overpowered my Old Spice. I’m going to take a hot shower.
I don’t want to make the same mistake again. DRJ, is there any way to put the names at the top of the comment, next to the number? It would help.
Ropelight (4a83c9) — 8/20/2008 @ 10:53 pm#22
No, but you did. I also don’t give a damn about the rest of McCain’s Navy file or now this thing Kurtz boy scout BS about a “cover up” concerning Obama’s aptly named CAC files connecting him to Ayers, because all that stuff is total CAC and the Dems are just as guilty as the Republicans in this no doubt, It’s all a load of CAC.
If there was anything damaging about Obama’s relationship, it would have been made front page news in about one nanosecond by Sen. HC and Co.
So I say to Kurtz: Sorry Charlie, you’ve got nothing. Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.
Peter (e70d1c) — 8/20/2008 @ 11:08 pm“The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama’s relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?”
Uh…. so Obama’s people should go to the library and dig up some information to help McCain’s smear machine with thier innuendo campaign? Sure. Right.
This is probably one of the stupider throw away requests I have seen. What, McCains people are too lazy to go to the library? If they want to start some new line of attack then they should do their own work right? What’s the library gonna do? Refuse to give them the info on the grounds of National Security?
The Ayer’s thing will play well with the rubes looking for a reason not to vote for Obama but both candidates associate with crappy people so this line of attack is strictly for the suckers.
Obama’s camp will no doubt come up with some crappy person(s) that McCain has been hanging around with and they can both proceed to fling this associational poo at each other.
I could see this backfiring on JM since he has been around longer and thus has more potential to end up covered in more poo than Obama. Not that Democrats could hit the broadside of a barn… and apparently O doesnt want to sully his hands with negative campaigning… but his Veep pick might not be so fastidious.
EdWood (247d59) — 8/21/2008 @ 5:29 amWhich is why he’s been so reluctant to call his critics racists, right?
Rob Crawford (6c262f) — 8/21/2008 @ 5:52 am#24 that’s just it- the records are now off limits to people who are interested in knowing what actually transpired with Annenberg Foundation, Ayers and Obama, other than wasting grant money. One might get a clue about what obambi actually accomplished within the educational studies. So you cannot just go to a library in Chicago and read anything about it. Is there any doubt that any forthcoming approval will be long delayed and the contents sterilized?
madmax333 (0c6cfc) — 8/21/2008 @ 6:07 amI am not sure how many times that McCain launched his political career in the living room of an unrepentant domestic terrorist. I suspect not all that often.
JD (75f5c3) — 8/21/2008 @ 6:07 amNo… They in fact have attempted to see the material, which was available for public viewing, but Library Administration stepped in and blocked the attempt.
So they would like to go read it, but the Library will not allow them to, thus the call for Obama to call out the library to release it…
After all, if the man’s got nothing to hide regarding his past relationship with Ayers…
Scott Jacobs (a1c284) — 8/21/2008 @ 6:12 amEdWood, so because you don’t understand the facts of the issue you figure that means you can call McCain supporters stupid and lazy?
Typical.
SPQR (26be8b) — 8/21/2008 @ 6:40 am“The Ayer’s thing will play well with the rubes looking for a reason not to vote for Obama but both candidates associate with crappy people so this line of attack is strictly for the suckers.”
Jack Klompus (cf3660) — 8/21/2008 @ 6:42 am“Rubes.” Classic. “I! Am! So! Smart!” As I said before you can judge to what extent an angle of criticism is effective by how hard people declare it a “non-issue.” The scramble is on to find people who even remotely measure down to the level of this scumwad Ayers who may have once shaken hands with McCain. This will somehow serve as the canceling out factor to derail any discussion of how associating with someone of such low character as Ayers reflects poorly on Obama’s judgment.
Ed Wood: What’s the library gonna do? Refuse to give them the info on the grounds of National Security?
Well, yes, something like that. Since you appear not to be familiar with Chicago politics, John Kass explains it here.
This is the group that will be pulling strings for the entire nation should Senator Obama be elected. “The Chicago Way”
carlitos (39ff54) — 8/21/2008 @ 7:07 amKitchen sink time! It’s getting uglier.
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/21/2008 @ 7:20 amObama’s association with Ayers is even more odious than I thought – Ayers is apparently a Cub fan.
carlitos (39ff54) — 8/21/2008 @ 7:22 amTo repeat:
The effectiveness of this line of “attack” will be gauged by how vehemently it is declared a “non-issue.”
Comment by M. Jacques du Klompus — 8/20/2008 @ 7:11 pm
Or in this case, repeat the faux-clever “Kitchen sink!”
Jacques Klompus (cf3660) — 8/21/2008 @ 7:25 am“Even before Shortshanks, when Chicago had a true reform mayor, his freedom of information officer was Clarence McClain, a former pimp with a bad wig who ended up in federal prison for taking bribes. Now that the Daleys run things, forget about it.”
mojo (8096f2) — 8/21/2008 @ 8:54 am— John Kass, Chicago Tribune reflects on the (un)likelyhood of UIC releasing potentially damaging records on Da Messiah. “Shortshanks” is Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
This is just another distraction that does not help Obama’s children.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/21/2008 @ 9:09 amAs I stated above, these records will be released about the same time Sen. Kerry releases his full military records.
lovie – What, exactly, is so ugly about questioning this close association with a domestic terrorist?
JD (5f0e11) — 8/21/2008 @ 9:09 am#36
love2008 (0c8c2c) — 8/21/2008 @ 10:15 amThe back and forth’s that will follow JD. Surely you don’t expect the Obama camp to just fold their hands?
Pragmatist!
This is why there’s no hope and no change: it’s dirty politics to the core. Obama is simply a well-dressed slave propped up by the man.
Vermont Neighbor (a066ed) — 8/21/2008 @ 10:29 am#38
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/21/2008 @ 10:55 amslave?
There are people who won’t like that.
Well, they are a humorless lot aren’t they?
Another Drew (b53d17) — 8/21/2008 @ 11:22 amAnd, if he isn’t a prop, what is he?
Vermont #38 – I disagree. You don’t have to bribe slaves.
Apogee (366e8b) — 8/21/2008 @ 11:27 amAnother Drew #40 – He isn’t a prop. He’s different than today’s politicians. He’s much more Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, and his candidacy represents a change to the ways of 140 years ago.
Apogee (366e8b) — 8/21/2008 @ 11:33 am41, 42
Thanks Apogee. Good points both. And a troubling prediction if the Chicago machine greases its way into the Rose Garden. Tammany Hall ‘muscle’.
Vermont Neighbor (a066ed) — 8/21/2008 @ 11:45 amIt’s not like the Obama campaign ever accused Hillary of hiding anything by not promptly disclosing records related to her time in the White House or the Clinton Library is there? Surely that cannot be the case. Otherwise that would open up the Obama campaign to big fat charges of hypocrisy, which I’m sure they don’t want to deal with.
I’m sure people are checking those records tight now and will find that what I did that, yes indeed, the Obama campaign accused Hillary of hiding things by not producing records.
What will they do?
What will they do?
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/21/2008 @ 11:59 amPeter wrote:
What an airheaded thing to write.
If there was something “damning enough” in the Chancellor’s folder, would that be a reason NOT to seek access to additional records that might yield even MORE damning details? Of course not! I don’t think you even believe your own nonsense!
Care to postulate some worthwhile reasons?
Sounds like Obama foreign policy — ‘More countries would cooperate with us if we weren’t so arrogant.’
“The manner [Kurtz] seems to require” is UIC making good on the access they agreed upon between preparing for the trip and when he took off for Chicago. Exc-u-u-u-use him!
Puhleeeze. If a mysterious someone is standing in the way of learning more about the one of the most inexperienced persons ever to be nominated by a major party, we shouldn’t know who that person is? We shouldn’t wonder if that person is the candidate himself?
Kurtz didn’t state at any point in his report that there was a cover-up (note the question marks). He does think it’s fishy, and so do I.
.::*Yawn*::.
While asserting that nobody should question his patriotism, Obama is purposefully coquettish about his longtime relationship with Ayers. He wants us to believe that he was welcomed within the sphere of influence of an unrepentant domestic terrorist without it rubbing off on him; we know already that no patriotism Obama possesses rubbed off on the flag-treading Ayers.
There are volumes about what we already know about McCain. What insight about McCain are you seeking? Do you think the Navy might be hiding something about him?
But it’s not wrong for you to imply that’s the case with the Navy and McCain. Gotcha.
L.N. Smithee (ecc5a5) — 8/21/2008 @ 12:13 pmKurtz’s point about the library being required to produce the records concerns the possible tax consequences of the donation and restrictions by the donor. The same sort of thing went on over the Nixon library years ago. You cannot donate for tax purposes and then refuse public access. Maybe Ayres (the probable donor) didn’t take a deduction. We’ll find out. Daley is stonewalling but I don’t know if that is the best position to take given Obama’s “new politics” message. If there are not seriously incriminating records in the collection, this stuff being pulled by Obama is almost as good. They just haven’t gotten the message about cover-ups.
Mike K (f89cb3) — 8/21/2008 @ 12:31 pmI think was what sparked off this argument. Is Obama finally ready for a fight?
Barack Obama’s campaign is linking John McCain to the infamous Jack Abramoff scandal that ended several Republicans’ political careers three years ago in a new campaign ad hitting Georgia airwaves Wednesday.
The 30-second spot is the Obama campaign’s second negative ad in the past 24 hours. It attacks the Arizona senator for his association with former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed, one of the Republicans implicated in the scandal.
The ad also seems to suggest McCain didn’t call Reed to testify before a Senate panel he chaired in return for political favors.
“When the Senate investigated, the senator in charge never even called Reed to testify….And that senator? John McCain. And who’s now raising money for McCain’s campaign? Ralph Reed,” the ad’s narrator says. “For 26 years in Washington, John McCain’s played the same old games. We just can’t afford more of the same.”
love2008 (1b037c) — 8/21/2008 @ 12:39 pmI know. We ‘ve all done things we are not proud of. That is why we have to be forgiving of others.
#45 But it’s not wrong for you to imply that’s the case with the Navy and McCain. Gotcha.
You certainly have a low bar for assuming superior affect. Enjoy it while you can, I guess.
Most liberals and Dems don’t really care about what’s in McCain’s Navy file. Obama can beat him on his own merits, unlike McCain who needs some worked up goofball like Kurtz putting forth a phony meme about a “cover up” (and why even mention it at all if he doesn’t want to hype the whole thing and get his name on the national stage?) and being his big bad self envisioned in his own mind as a modern day St. George slaying the Dragon of liberalism by intimidating a bunch of…librarians.
If a mysterious someone is standing in the way of learning more about the one of the most inexperienced persons ever to be nominated by a major party, we shouldn’t know who that person is? We shouldn’t wonder if that person is the candidate himself?
You can wonder anything you what. It’s a free country. But Libraries aren’t required, and won’t and shouldn’t have to, give personal information about anyone, that includes donors or patrons who use their materials.
Torquil (a72029) — 8/21/2008 @ 12:53 pmWe have to assume that Nyquil was intentionally missing the point.
JD (75f5c3) — 8/21/2008 @ 12:56 pmgive personal information about anyone
Torquil – Nobody is looking for personal information about donors. They are looking for records of a public charity donated to a public library. Prsumably the CAC operated as a charitable organization, otherwise those match funding the Annenberg Foundation got no deduction.
daleyrocks (d9ec17) — 8/21/2008 @ 1:02 pmI suspect that Torquil is a troll who is about 17 years old. I pointed out the Nixon example in #48. These guys seem to get talking points somewhere and think they are brilliant and will cause us all to bow our heads in shame. oiram at least seems to do his thinking for himself.
The two guys that are carrying this story right now are Tom Maguire and Steve Diamond, both of whom should be followed daily to see the story unfold. The harder the Obama people try to cover this up, the bigger story it will become.
Mike K (6d4fc3) — 8/21/2008 @ 4:25 pmJD wrote: We have to assume that Nyquil was intentionally missing the point.
The only point Torquil has is the one atop his pin head.
L.N. Smithee (b048eb) — 8/21/2008 @ 4:35 pmFORGET ALL THE MEDIA SPIN …
Lee (f14f31) — 8/25/2008 @ 3:49 pmYou can truly judge a candidate by
who he’s attracted to …
and, who’s attracted to him …
For 20 years, Obama was attracted to
Wright, Farrakhan, Pfleiger, Rezko, Moss, Ayers, etc.
… and, those attracted to Obama include
Madonna, Ludacris, the Nation of Islam, the
black panthers, etc..
Also … Michelle Obama subjected
her two young children to anti-American racists
for years, at the black liberation church of
Jeremiah Wright.
Elect a true American in November,
Senator John McCain !!!