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"He Lied" About Bill Ayers?

McCain cranks out some false and misleading attacks on Obama's connection to a 1960s radical.

 

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Summary
In a TV ad, McCain says Obama "lied" about his association with William Ayers, a former bomb-setting, anti-war radical from the 1960s and '70s. We find McCain's claim to be groundless. New details have recently come to light, but nothing Obama said previously has been shown to be false.

In a Web ad and in repeated attacks from the stump, McCain describes the two as associates, and Palin claims they "pal around" together. But so far as is known, their relationship was never very close. An Obama spokesman says they last saw each other in a chance encounter on the street more than a year ago.

McCain says in an Internet ad that the two "ran a radical 'education' foundation" in Chicago. But the supposedly "radical" group was supported by a Republican governor and included on its board prominent local civic leaders, including one former Nixon administration official who has given $1,500 to McCain's campaign this year. Education Week says the group's work "reflected mainstream thinking" among school reformers. The group was the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, started by a $49 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation, which was established by the publisher Walter Annenberg, a prominent Republican whose widow, Leonore, is a contributor to the McCain campaign.

(FactCheck.org, which is nonpartisan, also receives funding from the Annenberg Foundation. But we are in no way connected to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which finished its work long before we came into being in late 2003.)

For full details, please read on to our Analysis section.

Analysis
Sen. John McCain has dialed up his attacks on Sen. Barack Obama's past association with former Weather Underground activist Bill Ayers. He released a 30-second TV spot Oct. 10 claiming Obama "lied" about Ayers. A day earlier he announced a 90-second Internet ad claiming that Obama and Ayers "ran a radical education foundation together" and suggesting Obama was being untruthful.

McCain-Palin Ad: "Ambition"

Announcer: Obama's blind ambition. When convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers. When discovered, he lied.

Obama. Blind ambition. Bad judgment.Congressional liberals fought for risky sub-prime loans.

Congressional liberals fought against more regulation. Then, the housing market collapsed costing you billions.

In crisis, we need leadership, not bad judgment.

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: margee @ 11/01/2008 5:22:43 PM

    It is absurd for factcheck.org to take up for Obama at this point. I do not have to listen to McCain's ads either. The story has played out for the American people for quite some time now if you have been paying attention. I heard Wright's hate spewing from his mouth. I've heard the same hate from Ayers. I heard Obama say Wright was like one of his own family. Etc., Etc. on and on...the puzzle pieces all fit closely together and it is frightening. I am voting for McCain.

  • Posted By: FloridaGirlinJax @ 10/31/2008 4:08:02 PM

    McCain and Palin should be charged with inciting possible riots and hate crimes. The hateful descriptive language Palin continuously uses to mislead the American Voters should be considered criminal. The misleading and false statements made by Palin in relation to Obama's association with the Annenberg Challenge and therefore with Bill Ayers, such as "Radical" and "Pals" around with ???Domestic Terrorists??? in concert with also using Obama???s middle name, is specifically intended to lead the public to a ill-logical conclusion that Obama then too must be a Domestic Terrorist. McCain and Palin better pray that their irresponsible language does not motivate some truly imbalanced conservative follower to do something truly Radical which the World shall forever regret. Obama is truly an inspiring man. McCain should be ashamed, very ashamed. McCain and Palin should be charged with Hate Crimes! AND TO JUST GAIN POWER. And they profess to be Christians! Obama is the true Christian, after all of there false accusation and name calling, he is the one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, who taught us to turn our cheek.

  • Posted By: VoterinPA @ 10/29/2008 4:34:21 PM

    I just spoke with an Obama supporter. She was obviously unaware of the Florida journalist's question to Joe Biden because I asked if she agreed with the motto "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs". The Obama supporter said that she felt that this was "fair". Wake up America - the "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere" is about to have a power outage.

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