McCain and Palin are out of control. For the last few days, Palin has been saying,
“We see America as the greatest force for good in this world. Our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.”
She is, of course, talking about Obama’s interactions with Bill Ayers, who happens by chance to live in Obama’s Chicago neighborhood. Ironically, while she quoted the New York Times to make her case, the very article that she quoted concluded that
“…the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers…”
This association by Palin is ridiculous. How can the by considered “pals?”
Even if – for the sake of argument — it were true, how bad an association would Ayers be? Charges against Ayers were dropped, he has shown remorse for his actions, and he is now a college professor. Ayers may have been an overzealous advocate for his views who should have read more Gandhi and less Mao, but he never even went to trial, and now seems to be dedicating himself to good causes. For goodness sake, a primary source of interaction between Obama and Ayers was a school reform project meeting.
Let’s look at my “pals.” I happened to attend Princeton University at the same time as Lyle Menendez, who was convicted of murdering his parents with a shotgun. I loosley knew one of Lyle’s roommates and consequently I briefly met Lyle a few times and once I even went to a party at a nearby house that Lyle owned. I even drank some of his beer. Does this mean that I am pals with Lyle or that I support or in any way condone murdering your parents? Come on.
For argument’s sake, let’s take a look at John McCain and his relationship with Charles Keating. The Keating and McCain families took several vacations together, McCain accepted $112,000 in campaign contributions from Keating, and McCain intervened with congress on Keating’s behalf. Unlike Ayers who never even had a trial, Keating was convicted of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy, went to jail, and had to pay $1 billion in civil penalties. Check the facts yourself at CNN.Keating and McCain were clearly pals and Keating is a convicted felon. Now, does this mean that McCain condones banking fraud?
I don’t think so. But people in glass houses should not throw stones. McCain looks much guiltier to me than Obama.