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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Scraping for any advantage in the presidential campaign's waning days, John McCain and Barack Obama are introducing voters to a new cast of characters.
McCain would like people to know about a former 1960s radical and a corrupt government insider - both with links to his Democratic opponent.
And Obama is raising the Republican candidate's connections to a disgraced savings and loan executive and a supporter of right-wing death squads.
Each candidate is trying to plant the idea that his opponent must be guilty of something if he has connections to such unsavory characters. Both candidates are guilty of stretching the facts, at times, to smear by association.
A closer look at the relationships being mentioned in campaign videos, ads and e-mails:
William Ayers: Forty years ago, Ayers was a founder of the Weather Underground, a radical group that claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. He was a fugitive for years with his wife, fellow radical Bernadine Dohrn. But after Ayers surrendered in 1980, the charges against him were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct.
Eventually, Ayers became a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, specializing in education reform and even advising Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
In 1995, Ayers hosted a meet-the-candidate session at his home for Obama as he prepared to run for the state Senate. Later, the two worked with the same charity and social-service organizations in Chicago.
Obama has tried to minimize his link to Ayers, at one point saying he was just a guy who lived in the same neighborhood. But while there was more to the relationship than that, there is no evidence they were ever close friends or that Ayers advised Obama on policy. Obama has denounced Ayers' violent activities, which occurred when Obama was a child.
Charles Keating: Keating was a real estate speculator and savings and loan owner. His institution failed, costing many investors their life savings and sticking taxpayers with a $2.8 billion bailout cost.
McCain received $112,000 from him, his family and associates, and took trips to the Bahamas at Keating's expense. McCain took up Keating's cause with financial regulators who were investigating the businessman.
Keating eventually went to prison, and McCain received a mild rebuke from the Senate ethics committee. McCain repaid $112,000 to the U.S. Treasury and reimbursed Keating for the trips. He later said attending two meetings with bank regulators on behalf of Keating was "the worst mistake of my life" and that it had made him more sensitive to the need for government reform.
Antoin "Tony" Rezko: Rezko was a key supporter and donor throughout Obama's political career. Obama estimates Rezko raised $250,000 for his various campaigns, though not for his presidential bid. The two were friends who talked frequently about politics and occasionally dined out together with their wives.
Rezko was convicted this summer on federal charges of using his clout with state government to squeeze kickbacks out of firms wanting to do business with the state. The charges do not involve Obama. Rezko now appears to be cooperating with a federal probe of corruption in the Illinois government.
Obama consulted Rezko, a real estate developer, before buying a home in 2005. Rezko ended up buying a vacant lot next door and then selling some of the land to Obama. But Rezko did not help Obama pay for his house, and the sellers say Obama got no special treatment.
As a state senator, Obama wrote letters endorsing government support of a Rezko housing project for senior citizens. Obama aides say he was simply supporting a project that would help residents of his district, not doing a favor for a friend.
John Singlaub: A retired Army general, Singlaub founded the U.S. Council for World Freedom, which aided rebels trying to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua. That landed the group in the middle of the Iran-Contra affair and in legal trouble with the Internal Revenue Service.
The council was connected to the World Anti-Communist League, an organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America.
McCain served on the council's advisory board in the early 1980s. McCain says he resigned in 1984 and asked to have his name taken off the group's letterhead in 1986.
Singlaub says he doesn't recall McCain resigning, but also says McCain was never active in the organization and instead just let the group use his name for public relations purposes.
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 8:54 a.m.
I can't wait for Obama to unite this country with his race and gender based hiring preferences.
If we are lucky we can overturn proposition 209 here in california! Obama will lead us to sugar candy mountain. good times.
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 9:44 a.m.
More good news from Obama today!
All women (under 35 yrs old) will need to register for selective service starting in 2009.
In case you've never heard of selective service, its a registry of potential solders from which US government can draw from in case there is a draft.
So, yes, women can be drafted now just like men.
I especially encourage those ladies who want to "free tibet" or "save darfur" to pre-register as a show of support for Obama's foreign war campaigns.
Posted by caltest on October 13, 2008 at 10:17 a.m.
in response to mactrucker
mac,
quit spreading vile lies.
the president of the USA cannot invoke the draft.
Only Congress has the authority.
and if I remember correctly, you support our governments military actions in Iraq. so whats the problem?
enlistment rates for women have soared during the past 15 years. Most women are capable of handling many front line roles.
If he draft were necessary why should women be excluded?
You have a very perverted view of america.
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 11:38 a.m.
in response to caltest
SO its a "vile lie" that Barrack Hussein Obamma supports race and gender based hiring preferences?
Ever heard of Ward Connerly? He authored prop 209. Obama opposes his efforts in colorado. go figure. who is posting lies?
"if i remember correctly" ? WTF? I voted for Ron Paul.
I have no clue what your point is other than you support the draft for women so long as its ordered by congress.
So cowboy-up ladies, Caltest says you need to get registered for selective service.
Posted by Anonymouse on October 13, 2008 at 1:22 p.m.
in response to mactrucker
Mac you realize that men are only reuired to register from ages 18 to 25, right? You may want to make up more realistic stories.
Posted by Lee on October 13, 2008 at 1:32 p.m.
in response to mactrucker
Women are not required to register at this time and not for 2009. I went to the Selective Service Website and there is nothing about it coming up or being presented.
http://www.sss.gov/Default.htm
Obama did state during a CNN/YouTube debate for Democratic presidential candidates last year that he doesn't "agree" with the draft...but that women should be expected to register with the Selective Service..."And I think that if women are registered for service -- not necessarily in combat roles... -- I think it will help to send a message to my two daughters that they've got obligations to this great country as well as boys do."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08287/919582-470.stm?cmpid=elections.xml
There were two Selective Service Acts passed by Congress, 1917 and 1940. Both are specific that MEN are to register. In order for women to be required to register, it would take Congress to amend the act or create a new one.
We all will have plenty of opportunities to speak up, should this legislation be presented in Congress, and voice our opinion one way or the other.
Sorry, but your blog sounds like a scare tactic to me!
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 2 p.m.
in response to Lee
LOL! Thanks for the backup here. Fact is, in WWII the draft age was 45 years old. Even older in Britain.
No matter what the age, we NOW know that Obama supports selective service registration for women.
We know that he supports race and gender based hiring preferences.
Do you want to tell me why me and my family should be discriminated against by the US government? Do you think that California was wrong to adopt prop 209 over 10 years ago?
75% of white males, the most educated and productive segment of society, will NOT vote for Obama.
We can't implement throw-back policies of race based and gender based hiring. Can't you see what this will do to this country?
We will see a militia movement that will make the 1990's look like amateur hour. Obama won't be able to get rid of the Patriot act (hated by democrats) because he'll need to use it to monitor thousand of internal militias.
Oh the irony of it all.
Posted by hawkeye on October 13, 2008 at 4:37 p.m.
in response to mactrucker
Real Clear Politics and Rasmussen both now put Florida in the leans Obama column. Looks like McCain is finished. I think your assumptions about white male education, productivity, and voting are way off. This is one productive and educated white male that is voting for Obama. The national numbers show that I am not in the minority.
Please send your name and address so that we can keep track of your militia activities.
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 7:10 p.m.
in response to hawkeye
HAHAH! Dude, you're killing me.
Are you really that ignorant?
I wrote that the majority of white males will NOT vote for Obama.
That is a fact. Not everyone is a parasitic lawyer or government worker or gov contractor.
What evidence do you have that supports your statement that you, AS AN ALLEGED WHITE MALE ARE voting with the majority for Obama?
NOTHING. because you are dead wrong.
Most white males will NOT vote for Obama. Even MSNBC acknowledges this.
Posted by mactrucker on October 13, 2008 at 7:16 p.m.
Hawkey, I don't think the US is ready for a liberal black president.
There are thousand of southerners who are still pissed off about the civil war!
These people have guns, lots of them. So, vote for Obama but don't be shocked if the crazies out there end up taking him out.
Do you really disagree?
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