Barack Obama and William Ayers, Part 1

by Jay McDonough

Since John McCain has now vowed to raise the issue at tonight's debate, the extent to which Barack Obama and William Ayers are "palling around" warrants some investigation.  After all, were Obama and Ayers hanging at the sports bar every Friday night drinking beer and eating pizza (big time palling) or neighbors who nodded to one another when passing (barely palling)?

Both Sarah Palin and John McCain have asserted Barack Obama began his political career in Bill Ayer's living room.  Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times has an article today exploring the Obama/Ayers relationship.  After some investigation, Ms. Sweet claims the McCain campaign is misleading the public.

Obama's formal kick-off to announce his run for state senate was at the Hyde Park Ramada Inn on Sept. 19, 1995. Obama was introduced by (state Sen. Alice) Palmer (Obama's mentor at the time) in a room filled with supporters at the Ramada, fronting Lake Michigan on South Lake Shore Drive, a stroll from the Museum of Science and Industry.

Around this time, Obama started to attend a series of coffees in the Hyde Park community where he lived, standard operating procedure for political rookies running in the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Chicago.

"I was certainly (hosting) one of the first," said Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, rabbi emeritus at Chicago's KAM Isaiah Israel--located across the street from the Obama home.  The Ackermans, Sam and Martha, longtime Hyde Park activists in independent Democratic politics, also held an early event for Obama in their condo on E. Hyde Park Boulevard.

Sam Ackerman told me Tuesday when we exchanged e-mails that "as I recall, the event at Bill Ayers' house (prior to ours) was a fund-raiser for Alice's congressional campaign at which she also introduced Barack as the successor she would like to see elected."

So, Mr. Ackerman's recollection is that the reception at Ayers house was actually for Sen. Alice Palmer.  It is also Mr. Ackerman's recollection that Barack Obama attended and piggybacked, if you will, to be introduced to the movers and shakers in the neighborhood.

Certainly not as the McCain campaign has portrayed it.  Not that it will matter to some.