The controversy over Sen. Barack Obama鈥檚 ties to William C. Ayers took center stage last week during the third and final presidential debate, with Sen. John McCain saying the Democratic nominee had not adequately explained his relationship with the education professor and former member of the radical Weather Underground.
It was the first face-to-face exchange over Mr. Ayers by the two presidential candidates.
The issue has simmered since the primary-election season, but made headlines earlier this month when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. McCain鈥檚 running mate on the Republican ticket, accused Sen. Obama of 鈥減alling around with terrorists.鈥�
The McCain campaign and other sources turned up the heat with TV and Web ads questioning Mr. Obama鈥檚 judgment in associating with Mr. Ayers, who has acknowledged taking part in bombings of the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol during the 1970s, and accusing Mr. Obama of being dishonest about their ties.
During the Oct. 15 debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS News touched off a discussion of character attacks by the two campaigns.
During the ensuing back-and-forth, Sen. Obama mentioned Gov. Palin鈥檚 comment, as well as his concerns that some people at Sen. McCain鈥檚 campaign events had yelled out 鈥渢errorist鈥� and 鈥渒ill him鈥� about the Democratic nominee.
The exchange about negative campaigning continued, and Sen. McCain eventually invoked Mr. Ayers鈥� name.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 care about an old washed-up terrorist,鈥� Sen. McCain said. 鈥淏ut as Senator [Hillary Rodham] Clinton said in her [Democratic primary] debates with you, we need to know the full extent of that relationship.鈥�
Mr. Obama and Mr. Ayers, a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, served together during the 1990s on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an education reform project funded in part by the Annenberg Foundation. The two also served together on the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago from 2000 to 2002.
People who were involved with the Chicago Annenberg project have said that the connection between Mr. Obama and Mr. Ayers was not close, and that the heads of key philanthropies in Chicago, not Mr. Ayers, were responsible for Mr. Obama鈥檚 involvement in the project. (鈥淏ackers Say Chicago Project Not 鈥楻adical鈥欌��, Oct. 15, 2008.)
In the debate, Sen. Obama said that 鈥淢r. Ayers has become the centerpiece of Senator McCain鈥檚 campaign over the last two or three weeks,鈥� later saying that 鈥渨hen people suggest that I pal around with terrorists, then we鈥檙e not talking about issues.鈥�
He denounced Mr. Ayers鈥� radical past, as he has before, and noted that the Chicago Annenenberg project鈥檚 had board included several conservatives and mainstream educators.
Sen. Obama referred to, though not by name, board members Scott Smith, a former publisher of the Chicago Tribune; Stanley Ikenberry, a former president of the University of Illnois system; and former Northwestern University president Arnold R. Weber, who was then president of the civic committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the city鈥檚 leading business group. Mr. Weber has given money to Mr. McCain鈥檚 campaign.
鈥淔orty years ago, when I was 8 years old, [Mr. Ayers] engaged in despicable acts with a radical domestic group,鈥� Mr. Obama said. 鈥淚 have roundly condemned those acts. Ten years ago he served and I served on a school reform board that was funded by one of Ronald Reagan鈥檚 former ambassadors and close friends, Mr. Annenberg.鈥� (Walter H. Annenberg actually served under President Richard M. Nixon.)
鈥淢r. Ayers is not involved in my campaign. He has never been involved in this campaign. And he will not advise me in the White House. So that鈥檚 Mr. Ayers,鈥� Sen. Obama concluded.
For his part, Sen. McCain appeared to remain unsatisfied, telling Fox News the morning after the debate that 鈥淪enator Obama didn鈥檛 tell the whole truth about his relationship with Mr. Ayers last night.鈥�
