Did Barack Obama pal around with any terrorists?

Answer 1

No. This is an accusation made by former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the 2008 election, and it is false. She referred to the fact that Barack Obama was friendly with Bill Ayers, a former anti-Vietnam War protester, who led a violent anti-war group first called the Weathermen (later called the Weather Underground) during the 1960s. The problem with Mrs. Palin's assertion is that Barack Obama was six years old when Bill Ayers was committing violent acts. He did not know Bill Ayers, nor ever hear of him. In fact, he only met Ayers many years later, after the former domestic terrorist had dramatically changed his life and had become a professor and an expert on education.

Most credible sources say that Barack Obama met Bill Ayers when both men served on the same charitable board in Chicago. Both were appointed by Walter Annenberg, as part of his educational foundation. Interestingly, the Annenbergs are Republicans, who were supporters of Ronald Reagan, and longtime friends with the McCains. But Walter Annenberg accepted the fact that Bill Ayers had long since changed his life, and he had no problem appointing him to the board to work on improving the schools in Chicago. Thus, Sarah Palin's politically charged accusation is false: the Bill Ayers that Mr. Obama met and worked with was not a terrorist, nor were the two men close friends or "pals."