In Letter to 'NYT,' Man Who Prosecuted Weather Underground Hits Linking Ayers to Obama

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Editor&Publisher

NEW YORK In a surprising a letter to the editor published in The New York Times today, the chief prosecutor of the Weather Underground in the 1970s expressed outrage over the linking of Barack Obama to Bill Ayers by the McCain campaign, adding, "Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen."...

The full letter follows:

As the lead federal prosecutor of the Weathermen in the 1970s (I was then chief of the criminal division in the Eastern District of Michigan and took over the Weathermen prosecution in 1972), I am amazed and outraged that Senator Barack Obama is being linked to William Ayers’s terrorist activities 40 years ago when Mr. Obama was, as he has noted, just a child.

Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen.

Because Senator Obama recently served on a board of a charitable organization with Mr. Ayers cannot possibly link the senator to acts perpetrated by Mr. Ayers so many years ago.

I do take issue with the statement in your news article that the Weathermen indictment was dismissed because of 'prosecutorial misconduct.' It was dismissed because of illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions, initiated by John N. Mitchell, attorney general at that time, and W. Mark Felt, an F.B.I. assistant director.

William C. Ibershof
Mill Valley, Calif., Oct. 8, 2008

Read more: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003873017

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Everyone knows it's bullshit.

[givemebackmycountry]

25. Everyone knows it's bullshit.

That's true...

Except for the CRAZED fundies that show up at McPalin's rallies and shout "Terrorist!" and 'Kill Him!"

They truly believe Obama flew one of those planes into the WTC towers.

They are beyond talking sense to.

[BayjanDem]

27. What do you expect

from people that may have and probably did, vote for Curious George.

[Indenturedebtor]

40. "They are beyond talking sense to. " Yep

Those people are a lovely mix of stupid, crazy, and ignorant. Their brains are not wired right.

I have a hard time understanding how anyone with a functioning (if misguided) brain could possibly associate with a party that is so largely supported by such mutant freak morons.

[Realityhack]

46. no it is not.

I know it is hard to believe but some swing voters do NOT know this is BS. If they were that informed they probably would not be swing voters.

[happygoluckytoyou]

51. not flew them, mccain is the pilot... obama would only have directed them from the watchtower

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE FUNDIs.... SEND A NOTE TO JOHN THE BUSH REPUBLIAN MCCAIN AT THE FOLLOWING SITE


http://www.presidentialelection.com/Contact_Information/index.htm

drop him a note, here is the contact point, he says he is interested in hearing from you

winky winky, ya-betcha

[BearSquirrel2]

38. It's causing poll movement ...

It is causing poll movement in McCain's favor, let's hope this receedes just like it did during the primary as there literally is no "There there".

[Realityhack]

44. Sadly many do not n/t

[sop]

53. The corporate media's Equivalency Doctrine is bullshit

Following their usual Equivalency Doctrine rules, the corporate media continues to pretend the preposterous and bogus Ayers accusations are somehow equivalent to the reasonable and sane refutations of the Obama Campaign. You know the media's Equivalency drill...if someone says the earth is billions of years old but someone else maintains it's only 6000 years old, then both sides must be provided equal time to state their case, no matter how absurd.

Of course it's total bullshit. Everyone with an IQ above 70 realizes it's all manufactured controversy. But, Blitzer, Matthews and all the other media assholes go right along with this absurd charade trying to create the impression of fairness. They're incapable of simply saying "it's all bullshit, folks".

[LisaM]

2. Mark Felt, a/k/a Deep Throad

I wonder if, 40 years from now, we'll still be discussing all the misconduct of Bush's legal team.

[Eugenian]

16. Bush admin misconduct

I'll bet Cheney & Co. have done a much better job of destroying evidence this time than they did in the Nixon administration.

[TheEuclideanOne]

22. Actually, we are adding people to the watch list for protesting

the war or protesting at the RNC, etc. You know... exercising those rights given to us by the constitution. Think about how the American people are being intimidated by our government today and being added to terrorist watch list. 40 years from now, if anybody is associated with them, they can have the same type of smears used against them by future Republicans. Hey, in 2008, Bob Smith was palling around with terrorist protesters.

[Demeter]

29. It Won't Take 40 Years

They'll be in the dock at the Hague before the Next election....

[originalpckelly]

37. You know what's a riot? Reagan pardoned Felt for his crimes relating to this...

:rofl:

[The Wielding Truth]

50. It should be discussed now . Anyone who supported the * adm.

should be held responsible for the selling out of America.

McCain = bad judgment
Palin = abuse of power

have shown they have no credibility.

[hedgehog]

3. I've been wondering why, if Bill Ayers was so dangerous, he was never convicted !

[GinaMaria]

7. I thought the same thing

If he had been in jail, Obama never would have met him. It's not Obama's job to dig up dirt on neighbors. Let's leave that to the rethuglicans. This whole thing is insane. The McSame rallies may be stunts just to get some sort of news coverage, especially if these "angry" people are plants.

[Hannah Bell]

14. There are lots of interesting questions like that about the 60s. Some high-profile *radicals*

hobnob with elites, others in prison for life.

[Warren Stupidity]

42. Ibershof covers that: FBI malfeasance.

The FBI, acting at the behest of John Mitchell, engaged in widespread illegal wiretaps, break-ins, and other criminal activities that tainted quite a few criminal prosecutions. Ibershof's case against Ayers and other Weather Underground leaders was thrown out because of that.

[rateyes]

4. Mitchell and Felt.

Director of CREEP--(mastermind of the Watergate break in) and DEEP THROAT. They sabotaged the prosecution of Ayers.

:rofl:

[Cronopio]

8. That's the irony.

The FBI aided and abetted the terrorist Weathermen by breaking the law in going after them.

So that makes the FBI a terrorist organization, by the Bushista ill-logic.

[zbdent]

5. Somehow, I don't think this will be a NYT article Sarah will read ...

but then, she reads all of "them" (newspapers) ...

[Judi Lynn]

11. It's part of her "vast array" of periodicals she studies. n/t

[Zambero]

49. When Palin watches TV the volume is muted

And whenever she reads the newspaper the lights are switched off, as they are in the incurious and vacuous "upstairs" zone.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. The supporters of Unstable/Unable will say this is BS since it is in the NYTimes.

The letter merely confirms what most of us believed from the beginning..if Ayers was so bad, why wasn't he in jail?

[Beartracks]

30. I always hear: "Consider the source..." ...

... when GOP talking heads refer to news or op eds in the Times.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. John Mitchell and Deep Throat

I should have guessed.

Bastards.

[Critters2]

10. So, if not for Repug misconduct, Barack would never have met Ayers.

They never cease to amaze!!

[Judi Lynn]

12. Thank you, DeepModem Mom. This should be seen as a total breakthrough,

a big hole punched in that filthy smear from McCain.

Great, GREAT news. :woohoo:

[Duer 157099]

13. Awww... it was looking so promising...

until I got to the end of the letter and saw where he lives! Mill Valley!! Sheesh, of COURSE he's as librul as they come! :sarcasm:

(but seriously, we KNOW they will think/say that)

[Waiting For Everyman]

15. There goes the Ayers argument.

[P a u l]

17. how things change..

"It was dismissed because of illegal activities, including wiretaps, break-ins and mail interceptions..."

Sadly, all of which are now legal thanks to Bush.

[sohndrsmith]

20. good point. And it appears that the "association" with Bush

is proving to be far more politically dangerous and unsavory than any other associations - radical, imaginary, plausible or otherwise.

I'm very glad this prosecutor spoke up, but I doubt it will stop quell the issue. Even the ones using it must realize (unless they're in full denial, deliberately) it's not an actual argument, it's a ploy that they're willing to use because they're real reasons for being unable to support Obama aren't publicly acceptable (generally speaking) in this day and age. But they're being awfully transparent about it, which makes it doubly stupid.

[Eugenian]

18. Let's help get the word out.

Please Digg this story.

[Eugenian]

21. Here's the Digg link for the letter on the NYT site.

http://digg.com/remote-done/8939020/1

[lonestarnot]

19. K & R!

[Hekate]

23. Ibershof also takes his ire home to AG John Mitchell's illegal activities. Excellent.

Thanks for this post, DMM. As always.

Hekate

[Eugenian]

24. But wait! There's more!

From Politico:

John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist, said top Republicans have a responsibility to temper this behavior.

“People need to understand, for moral reasons and the protection of our civil society, the differences with Sen. Obama are ideological, based on clear differences on policy and a lack of experience compared to Sen. McCain,” Weaver said. “And from a purely practical political vantage point, please find me a swing voter, an undecided independent, or a torn female voter that finds an angry mob mentality attractive.”

[Demeter]

32. I'll Bet Obama Has More of the Right Kind of Experience Than 99% of Congress

[geckosfeet]

26. Wow. Glad to hear another historic voice weigh in on this. This is quite

damning not to mcLame campaign efforts to tar and feather Obama and to the current occupant of the white house illegal activities.

We can only hope that he and his staff will be tried and convicted after they return our country to us.

[beac]

28. That headline is worded VERY oddly.

It almost could be read as supporting McCain's attacks.

Is it just me? :shruug:

[xxqqqzme]

31. '...illegal activities, including wiretaps,

break-ins and mail interceptions, initiated by John N. Mitchell, attorney general at that time, and W. Mark Felt, an F.B.I. assistant director...'

That is when publicans were NOT above the law.

[Imagevision]

33. I hope Rachel Maddow gets wind of this prsecutors' letter to the NYT.

[blackspade]

34. Ouch

He just took a big old crap on McFailin's head about the old terrorist association mem!

[bronxiteforever]

35. Run this as an ad for Obama NOW ! K & R

Show the GOP sleaze machine for what it is- an instrument of hate repugnant to all right thinking people!

[Phred42]

36. It was the Annenberg Foundation for god sakes

plenty of republicans on the board too

Lets get Their names out.....

[Mind_your_head]

39. Interesting......W. Mark Felt. The supposed deepthroat of watergate fame Mark Felt?

I, for one, never believed that Mark Felt was deepthroat. I'm sure I'm not alone in that dis-belief.

edit: 'dis'-belief is a better way to say it, so I changed it.

[Imagevision]

41. DeepModem Mom> great post thnx...

[Jacobin]

43. I'm not sure how many here are old enough to remember those times

The level of opposition to the bloodbath in Viet Nam ramped up because the civil disobedience, massive demonstrations, strikes and other activities were only causing Nixon to expand the war, which any sentient being at the time knew could never, ever be 'won'. Millions of southeast Asians had been killed and were going to continue to be killed. We installed the president of S. Viet Nam as a puppet in a corrupt 'election'. Anyone you knew coming back from the war zone who was not completely brainwashed understood that we were trying to foist western ideals of government on a culture that, for the most part, did not want it or did not care. (sound familiar?)

When you country commits criminal acts and murders people in another country by the millions, what is your duty as a citizen? To be complicit? To sit quietly by and let it continue for another decade? To write letters to the editors? What did all the good German citizens do when Hitler rose to power?

Branding anyone whose politics you don't like as a 'terrorist' is the same as red baiting in the 1950's and calling anyone who disagrees with you a "communist".

I suppose I feel like a heretic by suggesting that a good case could be made for calling Ayers a courageous citizen who risked his life and liberty to help end a genocide being caused by his own government. I'm getting old. I doubt more than a few would see it this way. I certainly doubt Obama sees it this way.

Its sad that we can't have honest discourse about these matters.

[Warren Stupidity]

45. Good post.

Small points of disagreement.

Civil disobedience, massive demonstrations, strikes and other activities did not cause Nixon to expand the war, they were perhaps ineffective in preventing that expansion.

The Weather Underground was counter productive. Blowing up toilets in federal buildings (and each other by accident) was also ineffective in preventing the expansion of the war and alientated many people who might have otherwise joined in with a more widespread campaign of civil disobedience.

I agree that many here do not understand or appreciate the situation at the time. We were raining wholesale slaughter on Vietnam, and we were losing on the order of 300 of our own kids every week. At the height of the draft, 67-69, you were in college, in the army, or actively refusing to participate - in a state of rebellion. Estimates were that at least 500,000 people were in violation of selective service regulations and the real number was probably much higher. The government had already engaged in massive domestic violence, the military suppression of riots after the assasination of King in 68, and the staged 'police riot' in Chicago in 68, and the staged 'hard hat' riot against anti war protestors in NYC. There were assasinations of political activists (e.g. Fred Hampton) and of course the execution of protestors at Kent and Jackson State Universities in 69.

It was in this climate of extreme violence that the Weather Underground was created as a split off from SDS. The violence in this period was overwhelmingly perpetrated by our own government. That does not make what the WU did and tried to do justifiable - it was the wrong tactic and did not help to end the war - it makes it understandable. Our government was engaged in a massive war crime abroad, was killing my generation by the hundreds every week to continue that war, and was engaged in criminal and murderous actions at home to supress the antiwar movement. Oh what, the Weather Underground went too far? So what?

[Jacobin]

47. good points

What ended the Viet Nam war was violence at home.

Kent State, four dead.

Jackson State, two dead.

The ante had been upped by violence at home, leading to harsher repression (shooting protesting students). As moral human beings, our first instinct is to decry violence and criminal damage. However, there comes a tipping point.

What I am trying to say is that he was on the 'point' so to speak of a movement that (indirectly) brought the conversation from parlor discussions of how the 'war was wrong and unwinnable', to the funeral parlors of teenage college students' funerals, gunned down by American troops.

what scares me about McCain is the idea that most people accept implicitly that what he did in the military was 'honorable' or 'heroic', and that implicit suggestion that Viet Nam was a proper war to wage. What is MOST frightening is McCain's belief that the Viet Nam war should have continued and escalated until it was "won". That is simply delusional.

[Warren Stupidity]

48. I agree. To a major extent the Ayers crap

is an attempt to rewrite the history of that period. The whitewashing of McCain's role in the war is another part of that rewrite. We still have not come to terms with vietnam, we are still engaged in the struggle between the antiwar socialist-progressive left and the prowar neofascist right. The right owns the media and the terms of the dialog. Nobody is allowed to challenge the assumption that McCain is a war hero. Nobody is allowed to challenge the assumption that Ayers was a 'domestic terrorist'. And worse, McCain and his backers are in part attempting to prove that they were 'right' about vietnam by 'winning' in Iraq. I agree that it is the hidden subtext here that is most frightening. The neofascists are trying to claim victory in Iraq, their candidate is by extension trying to claim that we could have won in vietnam. 'I know how to win wars' he claims - odd in that the only war he was involved in we lost. What could he possibly mean?

We as a society seem to be stuck in this endless struggle over 'the narrative' that started in the 60's and it seems will not end until all of us have died of old age. The only strength we have on our side is that reality keeps busting apart their narrative, either through events on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq, or as we have seen recently, as their awful System of the World drives right off the rails and has a spectacular crack up. When that happens, when their media babblers start looking and sounding like Baghdad Bob, people suddenly remember that we are still here and still offering an alternative to their failed crap. And that is when our opponents start to become truly dangerous.

[live love laugh]

52. If only McSame's supporters could read... *sigh* n/t

[Cha]

54. Wonderful..mccain and palin better watch

out or they're going to be inciting Domestic Terrorism and they will be held accountable..it's on tape.

[downindixie]

55. What killed the Viet Nam war was when that

South Viet Nam General killed the suspected Viet Cong on camera!

[DogPoundPup]

56. nevermind

:blush: