Comments for

Bill Ayers claims he wrote Obama's "Dreams From My Father"

2009-10-06T17:06:06Z

Bill Ayers: Obama's ghostwriter?

In a chance meeting with conservative blogger Anne Leary, Bill Ayers makes a stunning claim that he wrote--not just edited--President Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from my Father."

Wow. He makes this claim to a stranger who approaches him in Reagan National Airport. Can you believe anything this man says? Or, should I say, either man?

This is no small matter. We have been lead to believe that Obama's eloquence is his strength, his trump card. Is it possible that all of this is a charade? A gigantic lie?

Does this suggest an answer to the question: Did Obama himself write his keynote speech to the 2004 Democratic convention that shot him into orbit as The One? Does Obama think so much like Ayers that what we've seen coming out of the White House during the first months of the Obama administration is a reflection of Ayers' point of view?

Americans have been more than pummeled during the Clinton, G. W. Bush and now the Obama administrations with charges that the chief executive is a liar. How much longer will this continue?

Comment from jackspatafora on 2009-10-06

2009-10-06T18:27:33Z

Tough question...But an easy answer....No one can trust anyone about anyone! That's simply because, today, values like trust and integrity have become conveniently situational rather than absolute. Some of you may be old enough to remember a different culture. I thionk I do....

Comment from John Sheehan on 2009-10-06

2009-10-06T22:27:01Z

I met Bigfoot at a PigglyWiggly in Tuscaloosa once. He told me he wrote Mien Kampf. It didn't belief him either, until he did the goosestep down the produce aisle.

Comment from Message from Montie on 2009-10-06

2009-10-06T22:51:13Z

I'm not convinced that Obama didn't write his speech. However, his journey is interesting and I respect it no matter who put pen to paper or MS Word to the keyboard. But to say Ayers is wrong isn't something I can do either because I wasn't there. I find that too many people just believe what they want to believe with no back-up whatsoever. I'm leaning more towards Obama though just because of his background.

Comment from Message from Montie on 2009-10-06

2009-10-06T22:52:51Z

I'd REALLY like to know when you felt that people were more trustworthy because no matter what decade you give me (in the 1900s), I can tell you about scandal within American culture. And you don't want me to go back further than the 1900s because we'll get into all of America's ugly history that is left out of textbooks (or glossed over).

Comment from TahoeBlue on 2009-10-06

2009-10-07T00:51:08Z

What was fairly obvious from the close examination of the book and Ayers writing has now simply been confirmed. Of course Ayers wrote the book. Ayers, the person who just a year ago was in Caracas praising Cesar Chavez and bashing the U.S., and who has wished he had done more, not less, bombing of U.S. targets. Unfortunately, it does say a lot about Obama as well, that he would go to someone with that perspective to write his own, ( ! ), "autobiography".

Comment from jackspatafora on 2009-10-06

2009-10-07T00:54:00Z

The reason I always doubt the claims of little people like Ayers is such claims are a classic device. By making the big people around you look smaller, it tends to make you look larger

As to my premise that there have been past cultures in which ethics were taken more seriously, this is not to say there was ever a time when man and culture were perfect. But yes there were times when they were measurably better. You would have had to live them in order to fairly judge them...

Comment from celestew on 2009-10-06

2009-10-07T01:08:55Z

It seems obvious to me that Ayers, like many others, thinks the crazy "Ayers wrote the memoir" claim of this blogger and her ilk is so outrageous that his statement is entirely deadpan sarcasm.

Comment from johnk on 2009-10-06

2009-10-07T03:31:04Z

Is celestew the only one with live brain cells left. Of course that was sarcasm.

Comment from Martin59 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T15:33:03Z

Read the following 3 part report, it explains the claims in detail. http://www.cashill.com/natl_general/did_bill_ayers_write_1.htm

Comment from fannieprl1 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T15:33:21Z

Montie-- You're right. Our history is filled with scandal. Does that make it right? Or mean we shouldn't try to do better? We should always strive to improve our situation and take responsibility for our actions, no matter what. Obama's claim is that he wrote his book. Lying about this reflects a character flaw that should disqualify a person to lead our nation and the world. Others have lied, you're correct. That doesn't make it okay.

Comment from Tracy on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T17:09:46Z

Looks like you fell for it - Jonah Goldberg finds out what really happened.

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjYyYjcyMzIxNjljMDdjZTllOGFhZGVmNTc2OGJiNTM=

Comment from jackspatafora on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T17:25:10Z

Fanniepril....To argue "history is filled with scandal" is no argument at all. It's essentially a sweeping negative without allowing for the nuanced differences in a nation's history. There have indeed been historical differences in the role of our ethical values; times when ethics and morality held more sway with more people. Never a perfect time, you're right, but a careful examination of our history reports times when the general population took more seriously the difference between ethical right and wrong.

There's not enough room here to debate that hypothesis. Only to suggest that saying Obama lied is the kind of easy shoot-from-the- hip condemnation far less likely in those times when religion & family taught the wisdom of keeping our guns in our holsters. There really WAS an America before the America you were born into

Comment from fannieprl1 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T18:03:38Z

jackspatafora--pls read "Monties" original post re my comments. I agree with you and trust me, I'm well aware of the America that was here before I was born. My father was a WW2 vet that gave way too much of himself so that people like you and I could waste time here.

Comment from hatch3 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T18:52:36Z

I'm continually astonished that the Trib sets aside valuable space for your unique blend of drivel and vitriol.

Comment from whodathunkit on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T19:52:42Z

Hey Byrney! I got a bridge I'd like to sell ya! It's in Brooklyn. Yeah, I own it!

Comment from Greg Morelli on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T20:19:48Z

Truth is, I write "The Barbershop" for Dennis Bryne. Time to come clean. Sorry, Dennis, it's bothering me. By the way, let's pal around this Saturday at Joey's Brickhouse? I'm buying!

Comment from jackspatafora on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T20:20:05Z

Fanniepril -- well, we probably can agree blogging is often "wasting time." On the other hand, let note that -- like your good father -- I too served in "another time." My war was the Korean War. I'm glad you're "well aware of the America before you were born," so my point is that when some people find it so easy to toss around hysterical accusations today, they remember that there really WERE times when MORE Americans were slower to be hysterical!

Comment from Dennis Byrne on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T20:38:20Z

Great, Greg. I'll send you my hate mail.

Comment from Dennis Byrne on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T20:41:02Z

See Greg's post below.

Comment from Greg Morelli on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T20:56:49Z

I work very hard on Mister Byrne's drivel.

Comment from jackspatafora on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T21:46:46Z

As to the Great Debate over who actually writes Dennis provocative columns, I have no substantiated facts. Just this intuition. It's probably the angriest Republican in the family who quietly slips his/her copy to Dennis under the attic door. Well why not? We all have some attics in our lives!

Comment from Mark Rhoads on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T22:36:26Z

I don't understand why the idea of Bill Ayers ghost writing "Dreams of My Father" should surprise anyone or why it would be surprising if President Barack Obama would prefer that fact was not known. From 1956 to 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy polished his credentials for a White House run by winning the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for a book with his byline called "Profiles in Courage." He did not write that book in any substantial part. It was written by his speech writer Ted Sorensen who shared royalties with JFK. But it took 52 years until 2008 for Sorensen to finally admit that he was the real author of "Profiles in Courage." A significant part of President Barack Obama's personal fortune right now was based on royalties earned from "Dreams of My Father." There is money at stake and who knows better to go after it than an anti-capitalist like Bill Ayers. President Obama has no published writing on his record whatsoever (apart from one college poem) before that first book. Not so much as an op/ed or a letter to the editor can be found with Obama's byline before 2008. That is just odd for anyone in the public eye even at the level of state legislaure. Most writers publish many articles before they make their first book effort. But after having had to return one advance from a publisher and after having fired his first Chicago book agent who worked her heart out, then Sen. Barack Obama suddenly has his name on a best seller? Given that background, it is not surprising that Bill Ayers really wrote the book but it would be surprising to me if Barack Obama wrote the book with his name on it.

Comment from merrill6738 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-07T23:57:18Z

Look in your back pocket, Dennis. Ayres just stole your wallet.

Goldberg and Byrne: perfect Tribune tag team of fools/clowns/idiots.

Comment from rtlane28 on 2009-10-07

2009-10-08T01:16:47Z

Why don't you start with the continent of Africa and it's ugly history and tell us all how it compares to the ugly history of America. Or, better yet, please direct us to the scandal free utopia that you have implied exists somewhere other that America.

Comment from Jon Moreland on 2009-10-08

2009-10-08T20:03:02Z

"I'm leaning more towards Obama though just because of his background."

And just what might that background be? No one knows, INCLUDING you.