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Obama's Top Campaign Staff Have Confirmed That Obama Learned Ayers Was A Terrorist "Sometime After Their First Meetings":
Obama's Chief Strategist, Davis Axelrod, Said That Obama Learned Of Ayers' Past With The Weather Underground "Sometime After Their First Meetings." "So when did Obama learn that Ayers, now a Chicago education professor, was a founding member of the militant Weather Underground in the 1960s. 'It was sometime after their first meetings, you know, he became aware of that,' David Axelrod, Obama's chief campaign strategist, said on board the Obama campaign plane from Asheville, N.C. to Nashville for tonight's debate. 'I don't know the exact moment.'" (John McCormick, "William Ayers' Past Was Unknown: Obama," Chicago Tribune's "The Swamp" Blog, www.swamppolitics.com, 10/7/08)
Confirming That He Had Asked Obama, Axelrod Said That Obama Learned Of Ayers' History After The Reception Ayers Held In His Home Launching Obama's Political Career. "Did Obama know of Ayers' history before or after the event, a small reception for Obama's state Senate campaign, in 1995 at Ayers' home? 'My understanding was that he, when he went there, he did not know, so I would say after,' Axelrod said -- confirming that he has asked Obama about this. 'Yes, yeah.'" (John McCormick, "William Ayers' Past Was Unknown: Obama," Chicago Tribune's "The Swamp" Blog, www.swamppolitics.com, 10/7/08)
So, Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist When They Met Relating To The Chicago Annenberg Challenge In 1996?
On October 23rd, 1996, Obama And Ayers Participated In A Meeting Between The Chicago Annenberg Challenge And The Chicago School Reform Collaborative. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Chicago School Reform Collaborative Meeting, Minutes, 10/23/96)
Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist When They Met Relating To The Chicago Annenberg Challenge In 1997?
On September 30th, 1997, Obama And Ayers Both Attended A Board Meeting Of The Chicago Annenberg Challenge. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Board Of Directors Meeting, Minutes Of The Board, 9/30/97)
Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist When He Praised Ayers' Book In 1997?
In 1997, Obama Praised Ayers' Book On The Juvenile Justice System. "The two men were involved in efforts to reform the city's education system. They appeared together on academic panels, including one organized by Michelle Obama to discuss the juvenile justice system, an area of mutual concern. Mr. Ayers's book on the subject won a rave review in The Chicago Tribune by Mr. Obama, who called it 'a searing and timely account.'" (Jo Becker and Christopher Drew, "Pragmatic Politics, Forged On The South Side," The New York Times, 5/11/08)
Obama On William Ayers' "A Kind And Just Parent: The Children Of Juvenile Court": "A searing and timely account of the juvenile court system, and the courageous individuals who rescue hope from despair." (Chicago Tribune, 12/21/97)
Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist When He Appeared On Academic Panels With Him In 1997 And 2001?
"[Obama And Ayers] Have Also Appeared Jointly On Two Academic Panels, One In 1997 And Another In 2001." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties To Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)
Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist When He Served On The Board Of Directors With Ayers On The Woods Fund Of Chicago From 1999 Until 2002?
From 1999 To 2002, Obama Served With Ayers On The Board Of Directors For Woods Fund Of Chicago. "[Ayers] served with [Obama] from 1999 to 2002 on the board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group." (Timothy J. Burger, "Obama's Chicago Ties Might Fuel 'Republican Attack Machine'," Bloomberg, 2/15/08)
During The Time Obama And Ayers Served Together On The Woods Fund, Ayers Was Quoted Saying "I Don't Regret Setting Bombs ... I Feel We Didn't Do Enough." "'I don't regret setting bombs,' Bill Ayers said. 'I feel we didn't do enough.' Mr. Ayers, who spent the 1970's as a fugitive in the Weather Underground, was sitting in the kitchen of his big turn-of-the-19th-century stone house in the Hyde Park district of Chicago." (Dinitia Smith, "No Regrets For A Love Of Explosives," The New York Times, 9/11/01)
While Obama And Ayers Were Serving On The Woods Fund Together, Ayers Posed Standing On An American Flag For An Article In Chicago Magazine Entitled "No Regrets." (Marcia Froelke Coburn, "No Regrets," Chicago Magazine, 8/01)
Did Obama Know That Ayers Was A Terrorist While They Were Neighbors In Chicago's Hyde Park Neighborhood?
Obama And Ayers Are Neighbors In Chicago's Hyde Park Neighborhood. "Twenty-six years later, at a lunchtime meeting about school reform in a Chicago skyscraper, Barack Obama met Mr. Ayers, by then an education professor. Their paths have crossed sporadically since then, at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obama's first run for office, on the schools project and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors." (Scott Shane, "Obama And '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths," The New York Times, 10/4/08)
Obama Spokesman Ben LaBolt Told The New York Times That Last Year Obama And Ayers "Bumped Into Each Other On The Street In Hyde Park." "[Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt] said they have not spoken by phone or exchanged e-mail messages since Mr. Obama began serving in the United States Senate in January 2005 and last met more than a year ago when they bumped into each other on the street in Hyde Park." (Scott Shane, "Obama And '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths," The New York Times, 10/4/08)
Neighbors Have Said "It's Only Natural" That Obama Would Know Ayers, Who Often Opens His Home For Gatherings, As Obama And His Wife "Are A Part Of Our Neighborhood And Part Of Our Social Circle." "Since coming out of hiding in 1980, the couple have raised three boys in Chicago and become part of the fabric of their liberal South Side neighborhood. Neighbors said it's only natural that Obama would know Ayers and Dohrn, who often open their homes for gatherings filled with lively discussions about politics, arts and social issues. Obama and his wife 'are part of our neighborhood and part of our social circle,' said Elizabeth Chandler, a neighbor of Ayers'." (Trevor Jensen, Robert Mitchum and Mary Owen, "Bill Ayers' Turbulent Past Contrasts With Quiet Academic Life," Chicago Tribune, 4/17/08
