In a negative spot running in Georgia, Barack Obama targets John McCain's connection to local scandalized Christian leader crony Ralph Reed. The ad implies McCain went easy on Reed in his investigation of the Jack Abramoff scandal:
The information uncovered by McCain's Indian Affairs Committee investigation helped Reed lose his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006. But McCain withheld a controversial email detailing how Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme.
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded by pivoting hastily to Bill Ayers:
"Barack Obama's ad is ridiculous. Because of John McCain, corruption was exposed and people like Jack Abramoff went to jail.
"However, if Barack Obama wants to have a discussion about truly questionable associations, let's start with his relationship with the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers, at whose home Obama's political career was reportedly launched. Mr. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group responsible for countless bombings against targets including the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and numerous police stations, courthouses and banks. In recent years, Mr. Ayers has stated, 'I don't regret setting bombs ... I feel we didn't do enough.'
"The question now is, will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama's relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?"
Ayers donated $200 to an Obama campaign in 2001, and they lived in the neighborhood. Whether McCain can make an ad out of this "relationship" remains to be seen.