Obama & Ayers

Gary Bauer: Who Are The Weathermen? To understand this controversy and William Ayers, you first need to know about the Weather Underground. The group formed in the 1960s after splintering with the radical leftwing organization Students for a Democratic Society. According to a recent Time Magazine report, “While SDS promoted nonviolent protests, the Weathermen aligned themselves with violent groups like the Black Panthers.” As Time noted, the founder of the Weathermen wrote,“"There is no example of a peaceful road to fundamental social change."” Throughout the early 1970s, the Weather Underground claimed responsibility for a series of bombings against government buildings, including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and the State Department. As a result of their terrorist activities, the FBI launched a massive manhunt that drove many Weather Underground members into hiding.

How Was William Ayers Involved? William Ayers was a co-founder of the Weather Underground. In 1969, the Weathermen launched the "Days of Rage" in Chicago, in which a mob ran through several blocks of an affluent neighborhood attacking cars, homes, police officers and businesses. More than two dozen police officers were injured, six Weathermen were shot, and nearly 70 protesters were arrested.

In 1970, the Weatherman bombed the home of a New York judge who was presiding over the trial of a group of Black Panthers. That same year, a letter was sent to the Associated Press, signed by Bernardine Dohrn, promising more bombings. Dohrn was placed on the FBI's “"10 Most Wanted List" for her terrorist activities. While on the run from the authorities, Dorhn and Ayers married and spent years in hiding. In 1980, Ayers and Dorhn, now with two children, came out of hiding and turned themselves in. Most of the charges against them had already been dropped because of what a court found to be unconstitutional surveillance. Dorhn, however, was sentenced to three years probation and fined. Unbelievably, Ayers and Dorhn found a refuge in academia. William Ayers is a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, while Dorhn, formerly on the FBI's "10 Most Wanted list," is an associate professor of law at Northwestern University.

What is the Ayers-Obama connection? In debates and interviews, Obama has tried to dismiss his connection to William Ayers by saying that he is just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood."” But, in 1995 Obama launched his political career with a fundraiser at William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn's home. That same year, Ayers founded the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and Barack Obama was chosen to be the foundation's first board chairman. Ayers and Obama served together on the board of the Woods Fund from 1999-2002. They regularly appeared together on academic panel discussions.

Unrepentant Clearly, Ayers is more than just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood."” In an interview this week with ABC's Charlie Gibson, Obama said of Ayers, “"This is a guy who engaged in some despicable acts 40 years ago when I was eight years old. By the time I met him, 10 or 15 years ago, he was a college professor of education at the University of Illinois."…” So we are left to assume that at some point, Ayers had a “"road to Damascus conversion,"” repudiated his terrorist past and radical ways, and has spent the rest of life doing good works.

The only problem with that story is that Ayers has never repudiated his past and seems to be proud of it. In September of 2001, Ayers was interviewed by the New York Times after he published his memoirs about his activities in the Weather Underground. When asked if he regretted his actions, Ayers offered this disgusting retort: “I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough.”

Obama and Ayers obviously worked together because they shared common values and beliefs, and as late as 2001 when Obama was not eight years old, but 40 years old; Ayers remained unrepentant about his past.

It would be bad enough if Ayers were the only leftwing, fringe extremist in Obama's background, but he is not. And the pattern of disturbing associations, what it says about the ideology and judgment Obama would take with him into the Oval Office, is a critical issue in this campaign. Senator McCain and Governor Palin are right to bring it up, and the American people should seriously consider the Obama-Ayers relationship before they vote.

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