Barack's Friends

Barack's disingenuous attempt to shrug off his friendship with domestic terrorists is nicely challenged in an op-ed today by Steve Chapman, a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board.

Obama minimized his relationship by acknowledging only that he knows Ayers. But they have quite a bit more of a connection than that. He's appeared on panels with Ayers, served on a foundation board with him and held a 1995 campaign event at the home of Ayers and his wife, fellow former terrorist Bernardine Dohrn. Ayers even gave money to one of his campaigns.

Bill Ayers and his wife once fought a war against the United States. Their opinions of the country haven't changed, and they don't repudiate their actions.

Dohrn has likewise rationalized the explosions, claiming that "our acts of resistance were tiny and symbolic." She even went to prison for refusing to testify about an armored-car robbery involving her confederates. That crime was not tiny or symbolic to the two police officers or the security guard who were shot to death in the process.

And, of course, there's the old double standard.

It's hard to imagine (Barack) would be so indulgent if we learned that John McCain had a long association with a former Klansman who used to terrorize African-Americans. Obama's conduct exposes a moral blind spot about these onetime terrorists, who get a pass because they a) fall on the left end of the spectrum and b) haven't planted any bombs lately.

Well, there you go. That's why Barack can't win the presidency.