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One More Thought On Barack Obama and William Ayers

By Larry Johnson on February 23, 2008 at 10:08 PM in Current Affairs

I realize I made some of you uncomfortable by using the analogy of the Nazi guard. Let me stipulate that I am not equating William Ayers’ crimes with those of Nazi death camp guards. I am simply making the point that there are certain acts which, notwithstanding the passage of time, are not easily forgiven. And William Ayers’ prior conduct is a cause for concern.

I would not have a problem with William Ayers if he called what he did the mistakes of a misguided youth. But that is not the case. He has refused to go down that road. In fact, on the day of the 9-11 attacks, as most Americans mourned the lives lost by fellow citizens, Ayers told a New York Times reporter:

I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.

Call it arrogance. Call it hubris. I call it inexcusable. American and foreign citizens had been murdered in the most awful fashion by fanatics bent on pursuing their sense of justice and this guy regrets he had not set off more bombs when he was engaged in his own fanatical pursuit.

So, why does Barack Obama continue to associate with this clown after 9-11? Why does Barack Obama continue to sit on the board of the Woods Fund with William Ayers? In 2002 Ayers and Obama give $35,000 to the Arab American Action Network (which was founded by Rashid Khalidi).  These are not guys who saw each other across the room and never spoke. They were friends. They met together regularly and voted together to give money to other people.

I value the importance of friends. But I don’t make friends with former terrorists who are unrepentant. And I certainly won’t continue a friendship with someone who insists he should have planted more bombs in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attacks on the United States. Barack seems to have a different standard. I hope that is not one of the changes he wants to bring to Washington.