Ayers Airs Again

Bill Ayers is not about the sixties, he's about right now. Why has he played a role in the political career of Barack Obama considering his past as the co-founder of a domestic terrorist group? Simple question, which Barack tries to dodge in his new ad.



This ad is a response to a pro-McCain ad run by an independent 527 group, the American Issues Project - funded by the same guy who financed the Swift Boat attacks on John Kerry.

The lone financier of the anti-Obama ad, Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, was also one of the main funders of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who targeted Kerry. Simmons, a McCain fundraiser, contributed nearly $2.9 million to the American Issues Project, according to documents filed by the group with the Federal Election Commission.

Barack, determined not to resemble Kerry in any way, is fighting back aggressively - trying to intimidate the TV stations that accept the ad, and by taking legal action to block its airing.

Obama not only aired a response ad to the spot linking him to William Ayers, but he sought to block stations the commercial by warning station managers and asking the Justice Department to intervene. The campaign also planned to compel advertisers to pressure stations that continue to air the anti-Obama commercial.

It's the type of going-for-the-jugular approach to politics many Democrats complain that Kerry lacked and that Republicans exploit.

Is Barack doing the right thing - trying to trick people into thinking that Ayers doesn't matter? Or should he offer some intelligent explanation for the close ties between himself and Ayers, one that voters could understand? Why doesn't he want to take that approach? He doesn't want Americans to know just how tight he is with the Ayers family.

Mayor Daley's defense of Ayers doesn't help Barack continue the deception that Ayers is just a guy in the neighborhood.

"People keep trying to align himself with Barack Obama," Daley said. "It's really unfortunate. They're friends. So what? People do make mistakes in the past. You move on. This is a new century, a new time. He reflects back and he's been making a strong contribution to our community."