by Jodi S. Cohen
As reporters continued to dig through Barack Obama-related documents at the University of Illinois at Chicago library today, they were joined by four young men who wanted to remain incognito.
The men, dressed in jeans and shorts and appearing to be in their early 20s, methodically sifted through boxes of documents related to an education reform program in which Obama and 1960s radical William Ayers played key roles.
The library patrons became flustered when asked by a Tribune reporter if they were affiliated with the Obama or John McCain presidential campaigns.
"I'm not talking about that," said one of the young researchers, who, along with a colleague, began looking at documents when the library opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday. When they signed the visitor log, one left blank the space describing his organizational or institutional affiliation. The other one wrote something, but then crossed it out to make it illegible.
The other two young men arrived at around 1:30 p.m., according to the library log. They also didn't list their affiliation. And they sat at a separate table from the first two polo shirt-clad, anonymous researchers.
A reporter asked the new arrivals whether they were with any particular group. "We're kind of just on our own," one of them said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Were they UIC students? "No," he said.
Why were they interested in the documents? "I don't want to talk about it," he said.
The man sitting next to him chimed in: "It looked like it would be a fun read."
Both campaigns, however, later confirmed that they sent researchers to the library to review the documents related to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, an education reform initiative that Ayers helped get started and in which Obama served as the board's president.
And they each added their own spin.
"As we stated before, these were not records we had access to, control over, or the ability to release, so we reviewed them like everybody else," said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt. The Challenge "was a bipartisan board, funded by former Nixon ambassador and Reagan friend Walter Annenberg, that worked with Republicans and Democrats in Illinois to fund education programs."
And from the Republican National Committee:
"The RNC does have a number of people on the ground reviewing documents related to Barack Obama's relationship with unrepentant terrorist, William Ayers," spokesman Danny Diaz wrote in an e-mail. "It is our duty to inform the public about this very troubling friendship."
The UIC records show that Obama and Ayers attended board meetings, one retreat and at least one news conference together as the Annenberg Challenge program got under way. The two continued to attend meetings together after the program began.
Ayers, now a UIC education professor, was a founder of the Weather Underground, a radical 1960s anti-war group.
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Comments
You're a financial planner and you want to invest my retirement savings in scratch tickets?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You're a plumber and you're going to fix my clog with a stick of dynamite?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You're a firefighter and you're going to put out the flames with gasoline?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You're a jeweler and you're going to fix my Rolex with a hammer?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You’re a nuclear physicist and you're giving out 'free samples' of enriched uranium to children?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You're a surgeon and you're using a rusty hacksaw?"
"Trust me. I was a POW."
"You’re John McCain, the Republican candidate for president and you want to fix the country's problems even though you don’t know much about the economy,
-You McCain, don’t know how to use the internet,
-You McCain, don’t know how many houses you own or what kind of car you drive,
-You McCain, admit you don’t think clearly when you’re tired,
-You McCain, make frequent gaffes on foreign policy,
-You McCain, think offshore drilling is a short-term solution to high gas prices,
-You McCain, support torture and keeping the Guantanamo prison open,
-You McCain, make rash decisions and statements from which you have to quickly backtrack,
-You McCain, have an explosive temper on a hair trigger,
-Your idea of health care reform McCain, is 'wear more sunscreen,
-You're for stem cell research McCain, except when it's done on stem cells because you consider them all American citizens,
and you McCain, voted to support the policies of the worst president ever (Bush) 100 percent of the time this year?"
"Trust me, my friends. I was a POW."
Only in rightwing lunitic fringe Republicanland....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBfngOsvmA0
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Posted by: Shout out to the Homies! | August 27, 2008 8:00 PM
McCain is a dumb old war mongerer who disguises nationalism as patriotism, for those that still support Bush/McCain I'll translate it into American for you:
TERRORISM OIL PATRIOTISM, BUNKER BUSTER, ISLAM EVIL OIL OIL BUSH FLAG USA JESUS BUSH. PROUD GOD PATRIOT USA TERRORIST SAFETY OIL OIL $$$ WHITE HOUSE DEMOCRACY OIL FREEDOM DEATH WAR WAR OIL BUSH/MCCAIN!
There, now your brain cell can carry on pretending America is great and wonderful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxT0s_I5WtA
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Posted by: Shout out to the Homies! | August 27, 2008 8:06 PM
Hope they can find where the money went---Chicago Style-----
Posted by: George | August 27, 2008 8:14 PM
This is Chicago. I'll bet there's a scandal here, and I'll bet it's about money.
Posted by: MJ | August 27, 2008 8:15 PM
Who does McCain really think he's kidding?
McCain will be sailing down the Alzheimer express in a year and he's completely delusional if he thinks he can rule the world just by trying to look and sound presidential.
McCain is stuck in the past and he's counting on his so called "war hero" status to win the office. He failed in war when he was captured and if he is magically elected he will fail as a president.
Bush was a train wreck, McCain would be a disaster.
Here's some Mavericky "straight-talk"...my friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEmPZoRVRII
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Posted by: astral99 | August 27, 2008 8:19 PM
McCain is a kept man.
The guy is an out of touch Bush loving crook.
In a speech he dared American workers to go work for $50/hr picking crops. He said American workers "couldn't do it."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWOZKeOauNI
When a guy in the audience said heck yeah... I'll do it for $50/hr, sign me up... McCain dismissed him saying he couldn't do it. He wasn't capable.
Oh really?
And Mexicans can? $50/hr? I think Americans would do that work for $50/hr, John. I would.
McCain doesn't know what money is, he has no concept of what people earn.
He's such a typical Republican. Totally clueless. Rich silverspoon fed egoist with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas.
I guess since he was a POW, he figured he could just marry a trust fund baby and forget about being a man the rest of his life.
$50/hr John?
Americans not capable?
Posted by: bluto | August 27, 2008 8:25 PM
Old adage: You can't tell a fool until he opens his mouth or, in the case of "Shout Out," hunts and pecks on his Soviet-made computer. Given his/her hate America attitude, there are planes leaving from O'Hare on the hour to any number of his communist havens. Only please buy a one-way ticket.
Posted by: Gordon | August 27, 2008 8:27 PM
That's a Libune reporter for you. Libune reporters don't investigate their buddy Obama, but they're regular Sherlock Holmes's when it comes to investigating the people who are researching Obama.
We've long since learned that the Tribune is the last place for readers to find out the truth about our New Messiah.
Posted by: Bruce | August 27, 2008 8:42 PM
Give the Bloggers credit for bringing this out in the open- not the Has Been Tribune for sure-
Posted by: George | August 27, 2008 8:42 PM
One side will find documents and report. the other side will find documents and destroy.
I wonder if Sandy Berger was there?
Posted by: Terry | August 27, 2008 9:19 PM
I got a hondo that says a mysteriously missed document that damages Obama gets circulated on line and in the press long enough to do damage and doesn't get vetted as a forgery until it's too late.
Any Rove fans wanna play?
Posted by: Bubba | August 27, 2008 10:25 PM
Wonder why the tribune wasan't a bigger player in this in pushing for the release of these records as they were in getting Blair Hull's & Jack Ryan's court sealed divorce papers opened in order to clear a path for Obama?
Posted by: Terry | August 28, 2008 6:53 AM
There may be something inside all the documents outside of the obvious information many want to know>HOW CLOSE WERE AYERS AND OBAMA??
Obama was very secretive about their relationship from early on. 911>2001 Ayers says his weatherman group didn't do enough regarding bombing the pentagon etc.... and photoed stomping on the flag. ONCE AGAIN>GOOD JUDGEMENT OBAMA!
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2008/04/just-fact-check.html
Posted by: 'just a guy who lives in my neighborhood' ha right! | August 28, 2008 9:16 AM
Can you please tweak your reporting to not imply that Obama and Ayers "attended board meetings, one retreat and at least one news conference together" unless you have evidence that they arrived together or sat together or otherwise kept one another company? Lots of people attended these things. Saying "Both attended" is quite sufficient.
Posted by: JCinDE | August 28, 2008 10:17 AM
Shout out to the Homies-it may not be too late for counseling. Your blissfully ignorant ranting is full of hate. I am sorry that you carry that around with you every day. Best wishes to you.
Posted by: thigs | October 8, 2008 10:19 PM