Posted on 08/26/2008 11:33:19 AM PDT by pissant
The Obama campaign has gone on the offensive against a multi-million dollar ad campaign by the American Issues Project, a conservative group tying the Democratic candidate to Bill Ayers, a one-time leader of the Weather Underground.
This new ad from the Obama campaign asks why John McCain is "talking about the '60s" -- a direct message that he's ignoring current problems and a subtext that he's stuck in the past.
And because this is a campaign finance issue, there's also action on the legal front. Obama's lawyer Robert Bauer has done what lawyers do -- dispatch letters, both to the Justice Department, demanding an investigation of the American Issues Project, and to stations running the ads. The letters were first reported by Politico .
In a small bit of irony, the letters from Bauer resemble an attack he mounted against the American Leadership Project, a 527 group that backed Hillary Clinton in the primaries and attacked Obama. It's ironic because ALP is now going after McCain on Obama's behalf.
Odder, perhaps, is this gap in Bauer's research, and what it shows about the inner workings of independent political operations.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
In an Aug. 21 letter to station managers, Obama's attorney Bob Bauer writes, "There is no 'American Issues Project.' It is not incorporated anywhere...Its name is only a front to hide the true sponsors of this base and mendacious attack, and FCC regulations do not permit a shadowy front group to claim sponsorship of political advertising."
Apparently the Obama legal team did not look in the home state of Obama's running mate, Joe Biden. The American Issues Project does indeed exist, and Delaware, a popular spot for business incorporations, is where its incorporated.
Of course, NPR is on board with Obama propaganda.
All it would have taken is for one of NPR’s staffers to search the Delaware corporations database, which is easy to find, and presto, NO STORY.
Obamaramadingdong must have a pretty lame lawyer.
This attempt at quashing free speech needs to be exposed and flushed down the crapper.
So Juan McCain, surprise us and don’t condemn this terrific ad.
NPR did check the corporations database and is debunking the Obama efforts!
When NPR starts debunking liberals, they are in big trouble.
The story actually ridicules Obamaramadingdong.
Yep. Thought we’d have captured a bigfoot and a ‘grey’ alien before I’d see an article like this from NPR
Delaware being selected, I presume (from my domestic companies) because you need the name, an attorney to sign as organizer, and a registered agent -— CT corp, being my usual choice.
The principals can remain private, sans subpoena to CT.
Only way to fly domestic. (I prefer Caymans, but I don’t like to pay tax.)
Wile E Coyote Democrats at it again!
What do you expect for $557/hour/lawyer?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068385/posts
U of I at Chicago opens Ayers records [ Weather Underground, Ayers and Obama ]
ABC 7 [Chicago] ^ | 8.26.08 | AP
“Those records include 140 boxes of documents from a school reform group called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge...”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068387/posts
The contrast in legal competence couldn't be more stark.
I am thrilled with McCain, or more accurately I am thrilled with the prospect of a RINO, who is much better than a communist in all but name.
I'd be happy to see McCain give a weak condemnation of the ad.
I'd like to hear him explain that Ayers was a terrorist back when Obama was 8 y/o, and Obama shouldn't be held responsible for that ... but ask how Obama feels about Ayers' recent statement that his only regret is that he didn't set more bombs.
I'd like to hear McCain agree that the ad may have been wrong to use footage from an anti-American organization's sympathetic film without permission, if that doesn't qualify under Fair Use ... and point out that there is plenty of other footage about the atrocities committed by Ayers and the other domestic terrorists who called themselves the Weather Underground.
There are so many possible criticisms of the ad and opportunities to invite Obama to clarify what he was thinking, that I can't imagine many harmful comments that even McCain could make on the issue. Any statement McCain makes will draw attention to the issue, and if he can agree with Obama on the peripheral issues while suggesting that Obama explain the substantive questions, that will help voters to understand what kind of "change" Obama visualizes in his "hope" message.
It would say, "Do you want your taxpayer dollars to continue to finance democrat propaganda via NPR, or do you want to keep the money you worked for?"
I really hope it stays this way through November.
Obama is like the criminal who hustles, robs, steals and stabs his way through life.
Might help to note: Howard Dean says Obama is changing his message for the general election....
From The Corner:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/
Obama Calling on DOJ to Silence Ayers Criticism [Andy McCarthy]
I’m with Shannen on his answer to Amy’s question, and with my fellow Cornerites in general on the foolishness of the Obama campaign’s Ayers ad (and, as Jonah discusses, the obtuseness of a Left which can’t or won’t see why Americans would be alarmed by Obama’s relationship with an unrepentant terrorist).
The only two cents I’d add is that a real story and one that should alarm people is that this is what Obama thinks the Justice Department is for. Here is a guy who fought the Patriot Act, fought surveillance reform, has spoken admiringly of Ayer’s radical views of the criminal justice system, and has a record as a Chicago legislator of being soft on violent crime. He is evidently ambivalent about going after terrorists and hardened criminals, but he wants to mobilize the Justice Department post haste to suppress political speech that he doesn’t like.
I regard that as more than a little disconcerting from a guy who wants to be president, pick the next attorney-general, and make U.S. law enforcement policy. The McCain campaign may not be too anxious to mix it up on this one given McCain’s own history of suppressing political speech. But that doesn’t make it any less a story.
08/26 01:08 PM
Re: Obama and Ayers [Cliff May]
Yes, as Andy says, Americans may be alarmed over the fact that Barack Obama has had a long-term relationship with Bill Ayers.
But as a friend mentioned to me this morning, should Americans not also wonder: What did Ayers an unrepentant terrorist, a man whose disillusionment with Americas political system was so great that he chose to set bombs, and three decades later continues to believe he and his terrorist allies didnt do enough what did Ayers see in Obama that made him want to support Obama?
One might also think this an appropriate issue even for the MSM. Not so far. Is even Fox touching it? I understand that both Fox and CNN have refused ad on the Ayers controversy made by the American Issues Project.
08/26 02:05 PM
Explaining Obama’s Ayers Ad [Mark Hemingway]
An astute reader wonders if the Obama/Ayers ad isn’t a pre-emptive strike against the forthcoming Annenberg document dump. If all of a sudden thousands of pages of documentation were to reveal that Obama and Ayers had a very close association over a long period of time, destroying Obama’s weak just-a-guy-in-my-neighborhood defense, then getting ahead of the issue forcefully might (and I stress might) make sense.
But if the Annenberg archives establish an intimate connection between the two and/or reaveal something even more damaging to boot, it’s hard to see that as anything other than bad news for Obama no matter how much he tries to get in front of the issue.
08/26 03:11 PM
I heard Fox News refused to air the ad by American Issues Project. However, I just saw the ad on Fox News about 30 minutes ago.
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