Oct 15, 2008 10:22am
“My Friend Bill Ayers”
EmailThe article is as interesting for where it appears — the Wall Street Journal opinion page — as for its content. The Journal’s Thomas Frank describes his own friendship with Bill Ayers, and calls the current attacks-by-association against the Obama campaign the Republican Party’s "vilest hour." Take a look.
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this ayers thing is stupid. the people who buy into this are the same people who sleep with a night light on and check under the bed before they go to sleep. grow up!!
Posted by: cjr | October 15, 2008, 10:32 am 10:32 am
Breath. That’s the McCain campaign gasping for air …
Posted by: thoughts ... | October 15, 2008, 10:33 am 10:33 am
It would be easier to overlook Ayers if he were at least sorry. If on 9/11 he hadn’t said they didn’t do enough (bombing). If he didn’t leave the open question of would you set more bombs. If he were to just stand up and say, look I was young I made mistakes, I’m sorry, I love my country good or bad. It’s kind of hard to overlook him when he stands as a slap in the face of everything I believe.
Posted by: samhiguchi | October 15, 2008, 10:41 am 10:41 am
Good article. Ayers’ latest book deals with reconciling his past with his present as well. While his past actions were despicable he is now a respected and largely positive force in his community and in education. Obama’s associations with him are no different then a number of other well thought of people, and involve the present Ayers, not the past. The McCain campaign and Republicans have their own connections to Ayers, making this largely a nonissue.
Posted by: Ordermonger | October 15, 2008, 10:41 am 10:41 am
End of story. Republicans have nothing left.
Posted by: dem in chicago | October 15, 2008, 10:43 am 10:43 am
well at least dome people see past old school nixon politics. If u wisper that your opponet is a commie you ussaully win but not this time. Maybe America isn’t stupid after all. And were are all the right winger posts?
Posted by: Joe | October 15, 2008, 10:46 am 10:46 am
samhiguchi Ayers didn’t say that ON 9/11 thats when the article was printed. The he said it on 9/11 is Palin Kool-aid.
Posted by: Joe | October 15, 2008, 10:48 am 10:48 am
the only thing I see is what has happened the last eight years, the war that should have ended, the job losses, the economy that is dying, if Ayers is not in jail, it’s not an issue….
Posted by: matt l. | October 15, 2008, 11:01 am 11:01 am
Obama was 8 when Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground. On the other hand, McCain just appointed Willima Timmons to head his transition team if he gets elected. Timmons is the former lobbyist for Saddam Hussein! So McCain’s legendary “poor judgment” strikes again.
Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | October 15, 2008, 11:02 am 11:02 am
Samguchi get your facts straight before you keep spouting GOP baloney. Ayes didn’t sat his comment on 9/11. Turn off Fox News and do some real research.
Posted by: Rick | October 15, 2008, 11:04 am 11:04 am
So what? Ayers has other friends…a college professor…a college professor who is writing a book that appears to blast Republicans on governing…imagine that. At least you can’t say that the Journal doesn’t give all voices a platform on their Opinion page.
Ayers (along with Obama) has a history of pushing radical changes in Chicago education, many focused on “afro-centric” ideas. These efforts wasted $150 million dollars without any noticable improvement in acheivement. Forget the Ayers’ terrorist past…his ideology, and Obama’s concurrence, is simply enough “guilt by assosciation”.
Posted by: The Shonz | October 15, 2008, 11:06 am 11:06 am
William Timmons
William Timmons
=
…the Washington lobbyist who JOHN McCAIN has named to HEAD HIS PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM, aided an influence effort on BEHALF of IRAQI DICTATOR SADDAM HUSSEIN !!!!!
William Timmons
William Timmons
Posted by: Joe6Pack | October 15, 2008, 11:10 am 11:10 am
Ayer’s was put on those boards by right wing conseratives republicans who donate to McCain. Obama had nothing to do with it.
Posted by: bubba | October 15, 2008, 11:18 am 11:18 am
i think the gop must be sick. if you are accusing obama for working with ayers so you must accuse the university of chicago , all the stuidents and all the professors who are teaching in that university.
if ayers is a terrorist than the FBI failed it mandate of arresting and prosecuting him.
Posted by: kiki | October 15, 2008, 11:19 am 11:19 am
That is a fantastic article!!!
Posted by: Marie | October 15, 2008, 11:22 am 11:22 am
Ayers cleaned up well – a well-respected
professor now – wonderful.
Some escaped to Argentina and proceeded to have a wonderful and full life. They became well respected in their community.
The key word here is “their” community.
How dare the democrats tell the ‘other half’ what to think and how to think.
You try to peddle Ayers’ story as some
kind of redemption tale. Redeem it somewhere else, will you?
That’s the beauty of the Ayers’ story.
Mix in some good to dilute the bad.
Then say with great conviction, “Ayers
has changed; he does so much good now.”
The Republicans are looking at the same
details of Ayers’ story.
We don’t buy it. Sorry. Go to Argentina
or Venezuela or Iran – they might buy it.
You probably will say “This is 2008. Not
l940′s.”
What does the year have to do with anything? People are the same throughout
history.
So keep saying with great indignation how Ayers is now a wonderful guy and you
Republicans are crazy,etc.”
It’s okay. We can take it.
Everybody to their corner.
Posted by: I believe you. | October 15, 2008, 11:22 am 11:22 am
Brilliant piece and nice that someone finally stood up for the guy.
Posted by: momchf | October 15, 2008, 11:23 am 11:23 am
Oh, there’s plenty of people who are standing up for ‘the guy’.
We are here to praise Mr. Ayers, for
Mr. Ayers is indeed an honorable man.
For we are ALL honorable men.
And I’ve got some stock I’d like to sell to you.
Posted by: caesar salad | October 15, 2008, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
On 9/11 we were attacked by foreign terrorists in which 3,000 innocent American lives were lost. On the same day, Bill Ayers, a domestic terrorist, applauds the attack by publishing a statement saying of his own actions in the ’60’s that he doesn’t regret setting bombs and wishes he could have done more. Today, Obama willingly embraces Ayers’ as a political ally. Obama and Ayers have a long-standing association together. Obama’s relationship with Ayers is consistent with with his stated willingness to meet with Achmadenijad, the President of Iran, “without preconditions”.
3,000 American lives were lost on 9/11. Will your vote for Obama speak of justice for the victims of 9/11 or as a justification for the terrorists who attacked us? Bill Ayers will never be brought to justice for his actions against this country. If Obama becomes our next president, neither will any of the foreign terrorists who hate and attack our country. I don’t trust Obama to lead our country as Commander in Chief. If he will make an alliance with domestic terrorists, he will do the same with foreign terrorists. This country will not be safe with Obama as our president. Maybe I am being a bit extreme. But, I would rather sound extreme and be right in whom I vote for than to put a terrorist-friendly president in the White House.
Posted by: James | October 15, 2008, 3:45 pm 3:45 pm
Mr. Ayers, you are right. Be silent,GOD will take care of the mess. I know, He has done it time and again for me. It is what comes out of the mouth of a man that bites him in the hinder parts.
Posted by: Clarissa Roy | October 15, 2008, 7:47 pm 7:47 pm
It is not just the fact that bill Ayers hates america,Obama lied and said Ayers was just a guy in the neiborhood when he was first asked about him,then he said well I never knew about his past then he said well I thought he was reformed.He said he did not know about his preachers radical america hating views(after 20 years ).So I have come to the conclusion that Obama is either lying or just stupid….so which is it.
Posted by: james | October 24, 2008, 8:26 am 8:26 am