You Are Known By The Company You Keep

Finally, John McCain has stated the obvious. When questioned on "This Week" Sunday morning, George Stephanopoulos asked whether or not "Obama shares his sense of patriotism", according to Politico.com. McCain answered, "I'm sure he's very patriotic. But his relationship with Mr. Ayers is open to question." Thank you for some common sense injected into this dialogue, Senator McCain.

William Ayers is a former member of the Weather Underground, a terrorist group from the days of my youth. I clearly remember the stories of this group's destruction to buildings such as the Pentagon and courthouses, all in the name of 'protest'. They were terrorists. They killed innocent people in their self-indulgent violent acts. They were an example of the worst of the baby boomers. There was nothing noble or just in the violence.

Ayers' wife is also a former member of the Weather Underground. Her name is Bernadine Dohrn. As recently as in 2001, Ayers has lamented that the group didn't do more bombing. He makes no apologies for his activities.

Ayers has a friend in Barack Obama. He is a neighbor in Chicago. He serves on the same boards as Obama, such as the Woods Group. He held a fundraiser in his home for Obama in 1995 when he ran for State Senate.

"He became friends with him and spent time with him while the guy was unrepentant over his activities as a member of a terrorist organization, the Weatherman", McCain said. "Does he condemn them? Would he condemn someone who says they're unrepentant and wished that they had bombed more?"

Obama tried to brush aside any questions on this relationship during the last televised debate with Senator Clinton. "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis. And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense."

Then, Obama went on to make a comparison with Senator Tom Coburn, a conservative Republican senator from Oklahoma and an Ob-Gyn who still practices. "The fact is, is that I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions. Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn's statements? Because I certainly don't agree with those either."

Well, Senator Obama, Senator Coburn never advocated bombing abortionists' houses or clinics.

"To compare him with Dr. Coburn, who spends so much of his life bringing babies into this world, that in my view is really - borders on outrageous," McCain said.

Where was Obama's righteous indignation when Republicans running for President have spoken at Bob Jones University, for example, and are promptly criticized as mean, racist homophobes for simply delivering a speech? Not that they were members of the Bob Jones church family as Obama has with Rev. Wright's for 20 years.

This is still a center-right country. It is not just troubling that Obama arrogantly dismisses his connection - it's that he doesn't understand the concern in the first place by regular American voters. He is in his latte-fueled arrogant mode of 'how dare you question me'? Comparing Sen. Coburn with William Ayers was completely off base. That Obama doesn't see the difference is breathtaking.

First it was Tony Rezko, then Rev. Wright, now William Ayers. All of these relationships are deserving of scrutiny. To think otherwise is ridiculous.

As Michael Barone stated, in U.S. News and World Report, "Obama's choices to associate with Wright and Ayers tend to undercut his appealing message -- very appealing after 15 years of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush -- that we must strive to overcome the racial and cultural and ideological divisions which have dominated our politics. They are something that voters are entitled to weigh as they make their decisions."

William Ayers would still be in jail today if it were not for the technicality in the justice system concerning gathering evidence against him. Obama's full scrutiny of his association with Tony Rezko hasn't begun. Rezko is just now on trial and already Obama's name has come up in court.

Obama did not fare well in the last debate. He acted truly surprised that any of his relationships were questioned. His inexperience was showing. To think he can just brush the questions aside by saying he was a child as the violence was happening, or that he wasn't in church that day, or that he didn't realize his chief fundraiser who helped him purchase his new McMansion in Hyde Park was a crook will only last so long before the voters begin to see the pattern.