McCain, Ayers and the Hail William and Mary Pass

I’ve been loathe to tackle this subject in the past because it’s a rather daunting proposition to wrap your arms around, but the genie is now out of the bottle. (Or perhaps it would be better said that the pit bull is out of the doghouse?) Since Sarah Palin dared infer the specter of Bill Ayers and his connections to Barack Obama on the campaign trail, it seems that everyone will need to make their peace with this in one direction or the other. Reactions were swift and diverse, with our own Editor-in-Chief describing it as “a new low” for the McCain campaign. Conversely, a number of conservative voices, including my friend Ed Morrissey, have been belittling the MSM for playing down the connections between Obama and the admitted bomb thrower and early member of the Weather Underground. We are also told by anonymous McCain campaign sources that we will be treated to references regarding Tony Rezko as well. Apparently Reverend Wright will be off the table for stump speeches, with Big Mac leaving that to 527 groups and Right-wing bloggers with a wink and a nod.

For the benefit of those of us who may be a bit confused about these issues, I would ask Obama’s detractors to address a few basic questions. First let us start with the assumption that Barack Obama certainly knows William Ayers to one degree or another, having met on several occasions and worked simultaneously on the boards of two institutes. Is Barack Obama being accused of participating in illegal terrorist activities in concert with Ayers, or plotting to do so? If this is not the accusation, what precisely is the charge we are intended to consider? Is this essentially a question of judgment and character and the choices a candidate makes in their personal relationships? If so… fair enough. It’s a legitimate question for voters to consider when making their choice.

A similar set of questions could be offered up regarding Antoin “Tony” Rezko. He stands accused of a raft of illegal activities and corrupt business practices. Are we to understand that Obama is also being charged with committing some of these crimes? Or is this primarily another of those judgment questions?

If the former, then I think Obama’s accusers should be able to clearly spell out for us the charges against the candidate, including details of the crimes, times, dates and places. If the latter, then the situation is easier to grasp, but one wonders if this is a path that Team McCain actually wants to travel. Should the Obama campaign begin taking up our time in debates and campaign appearances talking about Rick Renzi? He stands accused of a host of federal corruption charges including money laundering and fraud and currently awaits trial. Establishing a “connection” between Renzi and McCain wouldn’t be difficult, as he served as Big Mac’s campaign co-chair in Arizona as recently as this year. The usual defense against this by McCain supporters is that Renzi hasn’t technically been convicted of anything yet. True enough. But if you are a pundit who has ever devoted any virtual ink to Dollar Bill Jefferson (as I have myself) then you’ve pretty much let the air out of that argument, since Jefferson and his freezer full of cold cash are still technically innocent until proven guilty.

If we are to assume, as these proponents of the Ayers As Campaign Issue meme seem to intend, that such associations are disqualifiers for the Oval Office, then may we assume that they will be calling for McCain’s resignation should he win the White House and Renzi be later found guilty? Surely having a convicted felon serve as your campaign co-chair is at least as solid of a “connection” as serving together on the board of the Annenberg Challenge or buying a house next door to some shady Chicago political fixer. None of this is to say that such questions should be forbidden or are somehow “off limits” in the political arena, particularly if it is solely a question of judgment. But a few more answers to the above questions would be helpful if you want voters who aren’t already clearly in the McCain camp to take these issues to heart.