The interest in the documents comes as supporters of Republican presidential candidate John McCain have questioned Obama’s ties to Ayers. The Obama campaign this week countered by airing television commercials suggesting that McCain is stuck in the ’60s.
The UIC records show that Obama and Ayers attended board meetings, retreats and at least one news conference together as the education program got under way. The two continued to attend meetings together during the 1995-2001 operation of the program, records show.
At a Democratic debate this year when the association between Obama and Ayers was raised, Obama said: "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood. . . . He’s not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis." Obama called Ayers’ past radical acts detestable. But critics note that Obama visited Ayers’ home for a meeting at the start of his first state Senate bid in the mid-’90s. Source
