I like to consider myself a reasonably good writer, and one of the hallmarks of a good writer is the general avoidance of cliche’s. But there’s a reason why a……

Barack Obama and the exercise of free speech

In the ALL Oblahblah “Fairness Doctrine.”
Maybe all of the alphabet networks should just pull the plug, and stay in the dark until after the election… /Sarcasm

Or, be a Western democracy and report the news!

Barack Obama did a double-twist on free speech yesterday in reaction to the ad produced by an outside political group regarding his association with William Ayers. After his own campaign produced an ad that Factcheck called a “smear” tying Jack Abramoff to John McCain through Ralph Reed, American Issues produced an ad that pointed out Obama’s political ties to the unrepentant former domestic terrorist, William Ayers. Instead of letting it drop, Obama’s campaign took two really stupid actions: they produced a response ad and then demanded that the Department of Justice investigate American Issues while pressuring television stations to reject the ad:

That Networks Ran the Jack Abramoff Ad?

Obama should be skewered on this.

Then visit the American Issues website and make a donation.

That’s what I’m going to do.

The Obama campaign “attack Cindy,” the aide said, in its ad today on John McCain not knowing how many houses he owns. “She owns the homes. I thought he said the wives were off-limits.”

Whoops.

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign is prepping an ad linking Obama to his old fundraiser Tony Rezko. (The RNC has been pushing this link hard today in response to the Obama campaign’s offensive against McCain.)

As CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder reports, a campaign official suggested that Obama “opened the door” to the ad.

The Obama campaign “attack Cindy,” the aide said, in its ad today on John McCain not knowing how many houses he owns. “She owns the homes. I thought he said the wives were off-limits.”

Neither was there anything inaccurate in the ads produced by the Swift Boat Vets for Truth.

Thank you! I am so sick of talking heads using “swiftboating” as verb denoting slander. Kerry’s own testimony, in which he accused American soldiers of the most despicable crimes, was a prominent feature in Swiftboat Veterans for Truth ads. The 2004 Democratic candidate damaged his own cause way back in 1971.

As for Obama, when you’ve based your entire campaign on your judgment, don’t be surprised when others point out your associations with terrorists. I’m glad he’s stupid enough to make this an issue — as one of the commenters above mentioned, news outlets covering the story are now going to have to show at least a portion of the ad in question.

Clearly Bill Ayers saw something in the young Barack Obama that excited him and caused him to start promoting him. He had no discernible qualification to head up the Annenberg Challenge, yet Ayers installed him there.

And do not make the mistake of believing that Bill Ayers is some left-wing, aging-hippie crank; he is extremely influential in left-wing circles, especially in education policy and practice. He has influenced a generation of teachers and professors all over America and his radical ideas are given much weight in many academic and political circles.

Most Americans will see this as Obama trying to silence someone with an inconvenient political point of view

I mean, WTF, isn’t that what this is????

This can only get better, as the Chaicago Annenberg Challenge documents are released, and scrutinized by some members of the press. It will not only keep the Ayers/Dohrn names in the press for some time, but may expose some good ole, Chicago style, pork-a-licious, priceless patronage to boot!

Or dare I dream: At the same time that the Dali-bama is calling for the justice dept to silence his political opponents, it comes to light that CAC documents, previously listed on the “finders guide” Kurtz mentioned at NRO, ones that could be potentially damaging just by their descriptions, mysteriously disappear down the memory hole with the rest of the Obamateur’s Chicago paper trail…

A man can dream can’t he?

Team Obama has thrilled the netroots by saying they won’t be “Swiftboated”, but there isn’t anything factually inaccurate in the ads.

Neither was there anything inaccurate in the ads produced by the Swift Boat Vets for Truth.

Still, this silencing of disent… isn’t that what our side is supposedly doing? Once again the Left projects its true agenda onto us.

The arcane regulations of political advertising will fly over most people’s heads, but bullying people through the Department of Justice as a candidate will cause reasonable people to wonder what will happen if Obama gets elected. Most Americans will see this as Obama trying to silence someone with an inconvenient political point of view, not as a defense of a campaign-finance system that’s already egregious enough as it is without this kind of precedent.

Can we say Woodrow Wilson? Yes We Can!

American’s don’t like it when politicians try to stop other Americans from saying what they want to say, regardless the circumstances. McCain should double down on the Ayers/radical angle.

Weight of Glory on August 26, 2008 at 8:38 AM

Another instance of the coverup becoming worse than the crime. The original ad by the independent group (not the McCain campaign) set the trap for Obama and he walked right into it.

Now the issue is on the table and petulant, whiny Barry O has run crying to his government Mommy. The original ad did not advocate McCain, it brought up questions about Obama; its creators could be voting for Bob Barr or Ralph Nader for all we can tell from that ad alone.

Obama is trying to avoid Kerry’s “swiftboat” mistakes by being all fighty-fight but he’s made a huge error with these knee-jerk responses. An effective counter would be an honest confrontation of the issue, something Team Barry looks increasingly desperate to avoid.

Why?

What’s the angle here? Is Team Obama trying to get the DOJ to reject their appeal in order to cut their next ad; “President Bush won’t investigate criminals…”

Obama Mugabe. All the economic expertise with just a bit more subtlety on the oppression of political opponents front.

amkun on August 26, 2008 at 9:43 AM

+1

http://www.wewillnotbesilenced2008.com

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E1DE1438F932A2575AC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all