I think Obama has handled the Ayres thing pretty poorly. Saying that Ayres did bad things when Obama was eight doesn't hold water. And saying Ayres is just a guy he knows in the neighborhood, same thing. It just provides more fodder for his opponents.
The fact is that Ayres was responsible for bombings, and I do consider him to have been a domestic terrorist. And he has never clearly apologized for those actions, which to me is the crux of the matter. The fact that no-one died in his bombings is hardly material.
Yes, in years since he has become a respected member of the education community. Obama must have known about Ayres' past and made a decision to have this limited association with him -- serving on a board and letting Ayres have a house party when Obama first ran for political office.
Obama could simply have said that while he abhors Ayres' youthful actions and wishes that Ayres would repudiate them, that Ayres has in years since contributed much to society and on balance, Obama was willing to have a very limited association with Ayres; that Obama understands some will disagree with that decision.
It wouldn't stop the vitriol from the McCain camp, but it would impress some people who may be on the fence.
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2 comments:
I disagree. Nothing will stop Mccain's attack, because they have nothing else. Obama has nothing to explain. Even 60% of foxy viewers for goodness sake think its utter nonsense. To actually respond to this would give it credence. The only ones interested in this crap are racists who just latch onto this stuff as an excuse to hide the real reason. Why isn't McCain answering about Keating? Or Palin answering bout her connection the crazy pastors and the Independence Party?
I understand your reaction, but while not agreeing with the way or reasons the McCain campaign raises this issue, I do not excuse Ayres, and from a pragmatic point of view, Obama's responses (just a guy in the neighborhood...I was eight years old) were weak and not becoming of him.
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