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Politics | 10/06/2008 12:00 am

Palin Defends Claims That Obama 'Pals Around With Terrorists'

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© Shutterstock

Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin defended her claim that Democrat Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists," saying his association with a Vietnam-era radical is an issue that is "fair to talk about."

The Associated Press reports that Obama has denounced the radical views and actions of Bill Ayers, a founder of the 1960s violent Weather Underground group. On Sunday, the presidential hopeful tossed aside the criticism from the McCain-Palin campaign as "smears" meant to distract voters from real problems.

Palin lobbed the verbal attack several times over the weekend.

"The comments are about an association that has been known but hasn’t been talked about," Palin said. "I think it’s fair to talk about where Barack Obama kicked off his political career, in the guy’s living room."

Later, at an Omaha rally in which Palin helped raise $2.5 million for the campaign, the Alaska governor claimed one of Obama’s advisers had described Obama and Ayers as "friendly."

Obama and Ayers both have volunteered for the same Chicago charity and live near each other in Chicago. Ayers held an Obama event at his home when the candidate first ran for office in the mid-1990s.

During a North Carolina rally, Obama described the criticism as "Swiftboat-style attacks" on him.

In an interview with Weekly Standard editor and New York Times columnist Bill Kristol, Palin also said the media should not have let go Obama’s association with his former firebrand pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"I don’t know why that association isn’t discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that — with, I don’t know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn’t get up and leave — to me, that does say something about character," Palin told Kristol in a phone interview. "But, you know, I guess that would be a John McCain call on whether he wants to bring that up.”

181 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

SomChics Designs
McCain/Palin should be asked why are they inciting violence at thier rallies, sound like a klan rally they should come out and speak against the hate. you may not agree with Obama but they shouldnt allow this hate mongering to go on at their rallies. I understand free speech but if they want to be leaders they should start now and speak out
By SomChics Designs on 10/07/2008 6:57 pm
Linda Mason
Hi SomChics Designs — I agree but I think it would be even more persuasive if we showed that WE will not allow it to go on!! Whatever the Obama campaign says will be seen as just “campaign rhetoric!” We, the voters, the citizens,” must speak out. It is about taking back America! After all, if McCain should win (gag!), he would be president of ALL of us, and we must let them know this is not acceptable! This talk at the GOP rallies of “Kill him,” etc! How can we mount an effective counter-attack? Any ideas? It should be leveled at the GOP/McCain ticket/forces. We are just preaching to the choir here!
By Linda Mason on 10/10/2008 8:44 pm
Camouflage The Famous Canadian Abstract Artist
If the Republicans win they’ll plunge us into unprecedented hardship and despair. There will be no job creation. Jobless people will resort to looting. Women will sell their bodies. Public schools will close their doors. Artists won’t get grants and won’t be able to get hard drugs. And bankrupt government will stop issuing pension to our senior citizens. Only Obama can create jobs and save environment! Sign at: http://www.frogirm.ca/asp/issue1.asp
rita gregory
Let me tell you something - my son works for a small business owner and he has already told the crew to be prepared for cuts if Obama is elected and he gets hit with the increase in taxes BO proposes - so let’s not talk about who is going to create jobs - McCain/Palin ‘08
By rita gregory on 10/11/2008 3:18 pm
Steve R
Hi, rita. What a sad state of affairs when your son would have to vet his boss to determine if he really believed what he said or is just trying to scare his employees into voting for McCain. I know it sounds cynical, but fear-mongering has become standard practice for the Republican party.
By Steve R on 10/13/2008 11:43 am
Chips AHoey
when Palin comes out with comments like “he’s not one of us” that just energizes the racism that still exists in this country - vote against Obama if you disagree with their platform but not because he’s black - she is getting creepy now with her rhetoric of “I’m just like you” - it has been the Republican Party that sold out to China and now suddenly it’s Buy American, Wall Street is filled with huge Republican supporters and now we are socializing our economy - how can the irony here be so missed? it has been proven that when people feel vulnerable, whether it’s physically from war, or financially from a depressed/recessed economy, we turn to what we think are fundamentals and that’s where things get scary - we are experiencing a modern day fear that our Puritan ancestors had when they came over here, they were rightfully scared and vulnerable and they clung together and cast out anything that wasn’t like them and now we are doing the same
By Chips AHoey on 10/08/2008 10:54 am
rita gregory
The wealthiest dealers on Wall Street are Democrats - this according to the senior VP for Smith-Barney!
By rita gregory on 10/11/2008 3:20 pm
Wake Up and Hear  The Fear In your Childs Voice
Someone Blogged Me and had made the statement she had become (( CONFUSED by Sarah Palin))’s statements about Barack Obama and had said that when she questioned her republican friends they couldnt answer her on why is Palin Saying all these Horrible things about Obama, My Response: WELL YOU SHOULD BE, THAT MAKES YOU NORMAL, and Still innocent She is here to cause Confusion, Get our Minds off Balance, (up above this you will see that I typed 666 referring to Sarah Palin,) below mine is a comment to me, from Kewps (The devil will come in a form that is pleasing.) She is trying to start a Blood Bath………………..by saying things that are not true, Which causes anger to some radicals therefore Causing an Attack on to/towards Obama she seeks his Death! She is trying to cause a chain reaction to her word usage! Her thoughts in my opinion .. ( I wont touch him THEY WILL) meaning (we the people) She is Satins Lady whom has used God as Her platform….A TRUE Christian would never say the things that are coming out of her Mouth ! any Bible Believer would know and be very in tune with what is going on here! Not to get off on the Bible, However she is the one stating all this in the Beginning when she first got onto the platform, a prophet singing this and singing that of God (Palin) That was a sneaky move sucking a lot of Christians into it…Now she sits with a BEER at her table in a Bar! Which is a good thing for the Christians that are being Deceived by her to See! ((not that this is a bad thing, )) its just a hypocritical thing for her to be doing, Sense she professes out one side of her Mouth that she is a Pentecostal Woman! Anyone who has ever been or is a Professed Pentecostal believer knows that a Bar is the LAST place you would be… Satin is a Deceiver..wink wink…He knows this will probably get cut as well for me even talking about it, on this Site! HOWEVER she is the one that brought GOD into this race, Not me so I feel its not off limits or shouldn’t be! She is the one who said it is time to place JUDGEMENT so….its not off limits to talk about this subject! I’M glad you brought this question up and the reason your republican friends can not or could not give you an answer is because they Know what she is doing is W R O N G! or sad to say Know exactly who she is!…lol God Bless you My friend and stay Safe!
starry Nite
Senator McCain is becoming so diminshed as he allows his campaign to sink to an all new allow. In addition to Sarah Palin he now has his wife Cindy appealing as a mother -that Senator Obama voted against funding for the troups when her son was in Iraq. What she didn’t say was Senator McCain also voted for not funding the troops. Gov. Palin is part of the Christian Right, whose ideal world is which heterosexual couples can’t divorce, gay couples can’t marry,women can’t get abortions and contraception is scarce. The Christian Right normally doesn’t include extremists but Gov. Palin seems to be drawing this crowd for some reason. The racial slurs and shouts eminate from the crows. Even RNC officials are referring to Senator Obama with emphasis on his middle name “hussein”/ Gov. Palin stating “he is not like us”.
By starry Nite on 10/08/2008 11:17 pm
K K
Obama on World News Tonight discussing Ayers: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/obama-mccain-scoring-chea_n_133… Also.. Conservative columnist David Brooks on Obama’s intellect: “Palin a Cancer on the Republican Party..” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/david-brooks-sarah-palin_n_1330…
By K K on 10/09/2008 1:31 am
Wake Up and Hear  The Fear In your Childs Voice
WOW0WOW needs to update so i can just get all my news here!!
True Taylor
Great post My Heart Belongs 2… Thank you for sharing it.
By True Taylor on 10/09/2008 4:04 pm