"He Lied" About Bill Ayers?

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In any case, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge failed to bring about improvement in students' test scores, classroom behavior or social competence. An independent consortium of educators concluded in 2003 that "Annenberg schools did not achieve an overall effect on student outcomes" compared with schools that received no support from the project. Education Week quoted some project supporters as saying it succeeded in raising interest in helping failing schools.

Conclusion
Voters may differ in how they see Ayers, or how they see Obama's interactions with him. We're making no judgment calls on those matters. What we object to are the McCain-Palin campaign's attempts to sway voters – in ads and on the stump – with false and misleading statements about the relationship, which was never very close. Obama never "lied" about this, just as he never bragged about it. The foundation they both worked with was hardly "radical." And Ayers is more than a former "terrorist," he's also a well-known figure in the field of education.

Republished with permission from factcheck.org.

Sources
Fleishman, Joel L. The Foundation: A Great American Secret. Public Affairs Books, New York, 2007.

Shane, Scott. "Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths," The New York Times, 3 Oct. 2008.

Kurtz, Stanley. "Chicago Annenberg Challenge Shutdown? A cover-up in the making?" National Review Online, 18 Aug. 2008.

Kurtz, Stanley. "Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism on Schools." The Wall Street Journal, 23 Sept. 2008.

Smith, Dinitia. "No Regrets for a Love of Explosives." The New York Times, 11 Sept. 2001.

Chira, Susan. "At Home With: Bernadine Dohrn; Same Passion, New Tactics." The New York Times, 18 Nov. 1993.

"Mark My Word." Chicago Tribune, 21 Dec. 1997.

Sweet, Lynn. "Obama's Ayers connection never bugged anyone." Chicago Sun-Times, 18 April 2008.

Smylie, Mark A. and Stacy A. Wenzel. "The Chicago Annenberg Challenge: Successes, Failures and Lessons for the Future." Consortium on Chicago School Research, Aug. 2003.

United Press International. "No 'smoking gun' in Obama relationship," 27 Aug 2008.

Cohen, Jodi S. and Gibson, Ray. "Rush on to get files linking Obama to 1960s radical; UIC library releases Annenberg records." Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug 2008.

Cockburn, Alexander. "Playing the Race Card." Las Vegas Review Journal, 2 March 2008.

Escherich, Katie and Lauren Sher. "Obama: McCain Scoring 'Cheap Political Points.'" abcnews.go.com, 8 Oct. 2008.

Aarons, Dakarai I. "Chicago Annenberg Challenge in Spotlight." Education Week, 9 Oct. 2008.

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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.
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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.
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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.