C'mon. Is Ayers off the damn table or not?
Greg Sargent posted an article this morning that suggested the McCain campaign was going to pretty much drop the tactic of trying to smear Obama by association with Bill Ayers. Okay, fine. The polling for that type of attack is probably so horrible at this point, they must not have a choice.
So, what the fuck is this release from the McCain campaign about?
Today, John M. Murtagh made the following statement on Barack Obama's relationship with William Ayers:
"When I was 9 years-old the Weather Underground, the terrorist group founded by Barack Obama's friend William Ayers, firebombed my house. Barack Obama has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Ayers by noting that he was only a child when Ayers was planting bombs at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. But Ayers has never apologized for his crimes, he has reveled in them, expressing regret only for the fact that he didn't do more.
"While Barack Obama once downplayed his relationship with Ayers, today his campaign took that deceit one step further. Barack Obama now denies he was even aware of his friend's violent past when, in 1995, Ayers hosted a party launching Obama's political career. Given Ayers' celebrity status among the left, it's difficult to believe. The question remains: what did Obama know, and when did he know it? When did Obama learn the truth about his friend? Barack Obama helped Ayers promote his book in 1997, served on charitable boards with him through 2002, and regularly exchanged emails and phone calls with him through 2005. At what point did Barack Obama discover that his friend was an unrepentant terrorist? And if he is so repulsed by the acts of terror committed by William Ayers, why did the relationship continue? Any honest accounting by Barack Obama will necessarily cast further doubt on his judgment and his fitness to serve as commander in chief.
"Barack Obama may have been a child when William Ayers was plotting attacks against U.S. targets -- but I was one of those targets. Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family."
This is sadly typical of the McCain campaign. It started with the 'suspended campaign' lie and continues with this desperate press release. They're clearly talking out of both sides of their mouths here.
So, which is it? Is Ayers off the table, or are they just saying they'll stay away from Ayers while continuing to try using the smear? A little consistency - hell, even a little truth - would be nice.