Guilt By Association?

A column in the Wall Street Journal today delved into the links between Mr. Obama and Bill Ayers, one of the Weatherman responsible for violence during the Vietnam war era. The issue is also the subject of an ad by the AIP. The Obama campaign has long decried the raising of the issue as unfair guilt by association. This is a ludicrous charge from a campaign whose main attack on McCain is guilt by association with President Bush.

It is not a crime to be associated with leftists such as Mr. Ayers. While many of their beliefs are misguided, they were correct to a degree about Vietnam and Iraq, and are needed as part of an open political debate. The Republican party also has it's share of extremists.

However, Mr. Obama has been very deceptive about his connection with Mr. Ayers, which is cause enough for concern. As noted earlier, the association with Mr. Bush is a majority of Mr. Obama's campaign rhetoric. This certainly makes Mr. Obama's associations fair game.

As the column notes, though, there is now evidence that Mr. Obama was far more than an associate of Mr. Ayers. He was an integral part of his organization, and was trusted by Mr. Ayers. He was on the payroll of the organization which was Mr. Ayers founded to put his beliefs into action.

Many people drift towards radicalism, especially leftist radicalism, during their college years. Most drift away from it as they enter the workforce and so-called "real world". If this is the case for Mr. Obama, he needs to clearly delineate this. If he has not steered away from this type of thinking, he should make that clear. Either way, the voters should demand more answers.