McCain-Palin Campaign Conference Call On Barack Obama's Ties To Unrepentant Terrorist William Ayers

"On September 11th, 2001 when Mr. Ayers told the New York Times he did not regret setting bombs and quote, 'only he wished he had done more' and in August of 2001 when he appeared in Chicago magazine standing on a crumpled American flag in an alleyway, with a caption that said, 'Guilty as sin, free as a bird, it's a great country' -- the question is, how could Sen. Obama believe this man had been rehabilitated?" John Murtagh

Today, McCain-Palin 2008 held a press conference call with John Murtagh, whose family home was bombed by William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn's domestic terror group, the "Weather Underground," and Dewey Stokes, the former president of the National Fraternal Order of Police.

John Murtagh: "The real relevance of the story, to my mind, is Sen. Obama's continued association, relationship, friendship and professional working relationship with Mr. Ayers and with Ms. Dohrn as well, at a time when he knew and had to fully appreciate the depths of their acts and the fact that they were unrepentant and frankly recalcitrant.

"The real issue to me is what that says about Sen. Obama's judgment, his character, his fitness to lead ... He has continued, since first confronted with this months ago, to repeatedly -- and there's no sugarcoating it -- lie about the nature and extent of that relationship.

"You may recall that Sen. Obama once remarked to George Stephanopoulos, in regard to William Ayers, you cannot hold me responsible, I was only 8 years old. On February 21st, 1970, at 2 o'clock in the morning -- when I was only 9 years old -- the Weather Underground, under the direction of Ms. Dohrn and Mr. Ayers, attacked and firebombed my family's home. My father at the time was a New York State Supreme Court judge presiding over what was then called the 'Panther 21' trial here in New York City.

"They placed multiple firebombs at the front door of our house, attempting to blow it up, attempting to set it on fire and clearly attempting to block escape. They set additional explosives by the back door, precisely under the gas tank of my parents' car. ...

"We ask ourselves, who is William Ayers today? Well, according to Mr. Obama he was just a man in the neighborhood. Later on, Mr. Obama acknowledged, well, he was a man in neighborhood and yes, I held my very first political fundraiser in his house. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a sitting city councilman, and I can tell you that you do not hold fundraisers in the homes of strangers; you hold fundraisers in the homes of personal friends and supporters. ...

"In the 1980s [Dohrn] attempted to gain admission to the New York bar and, not surprisingly, was denied admission on the basis of morals and character. Mr. Ayers' father, a wealthy Chicago businessman, then secured his daughter-in-law a job as a paralegal with the law firm of Sidney and Austin. She worked there from approximately 1984 to 1988.

"Beginning in 1987, Michelle Obama was first a summer associate as a law student and later a full time attorney at that firm at the same time as Bernardine Dohrn. That may be coincidence, but certainly there are four people who could clear that issue up. If it is true and it is accurate, the relationship is almost a decade earlier than Sen. Obama has acknowledged. ...

"My final statement would be to ask you folks: When Ms. Dorhn in 1997 told Connie Chung that she wished they had been more militant, on September 11th, 2001 when Mr. Ayers told the New York Times he did not regret setting bombs and quote, 'only he wished he had done more' and in August of 2001 when he appeared in Chicago magazine standing on a crumpled American flag in an alleyway, with a caption that said, 'Guilty as sin, free as a bird, it's a great country' -- the question is, how could Sen. Obama believe this man had been rehabilitated?"

"The major media outlets have not been willing to cover this story. As I pointed out, nobody has even attempted to speak to Mr. Ayers or Ms. Dohrn. So frankly, until the senator lays his cards on the table, until Mr. Ayers and Ms. Dohrn answer some questions and frankly, until Michelle Obama answers some questions, I don't think the American people can make the judgment they're entitled to make."

Dewey Stokes: "Our concern centers around Sen. Obama not coming straightforward and answering these questions truthfully and honestly about what his associations are and what other associations he has. ...

"How you can come up and say that an individual of this nature has been rehabilitated, again, in my opinion calls to mind ... How do you judge the individuals that you associate with? You tell me who your friends are; I'll tell you what you are. And I couldn't agree more, being in politics, knowing that you hold fundraisers with some of your closest friends in your homes. Not everybody opens their home or their business office place up to you to hold fundraisers and to speak on your behalf and show their support -- they're generally very, very close friends.

Listen To The Conference Call
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