More on Obama, Ayers, and Coburn

At the recent televised debate between Democrat Republican Hillary Clinton (of the New York Clintons) and Obamunist Party nominee Barack Obama, Mr. Obama tried to put his relationship with admitted former (but wistful) terrorist William Ayers.

Obama minimized the connection between the two, but then said something that still bothers me.

He did detestable acts when I was eight years old."

I'm also friendly with Tom Coburn, a man who has suggested the death penalty may be appropriate for those who perform abortions.

The first fallacy here is overloading the word "friendly" by claiming that the two relationships are anything alike. Tom Coburn did not launch Obama's career in Illinois politics; William Ayers did.

Obama is trying to establish that the questions of his relationship with Ayers are designed to imply guilt by association, and to a certain extent they are. But no one is saying that Obama is a terrorist because Ayers is or was; they are only saying that Obama shouldn't hang around with Ayers at all.

The biggest problem takes a little thought. Ayers says he set off bombs (and not enough of them, he maintains) to call attention to the war in Viet Nam. Tom Coburn holds an opinion, and no matter what Senator Obama thinks of Coburn's opinion, Coburn has never once planned or set off a bomb to gain attention to his cause. That Senator Obama thinks that the two equivalent means only one thing.

Obama believes that terrorism and discussion are equally tolerable.

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