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Palin Keeps Linking Obama To Former 'Terrorist'

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By KRISTA KLAUS

News Channel 8

Published: October 6, 2008

Updated: 10/06/2008 11:05 am

CLEARWATER - GOP vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin took the stage to a cheering, pompon-waving crowd in Clearwater's Coachman Park this morning.

"You take my breath away. Thank you, Florida, for this warm welcome. God bless America," Palin said as the crowd chanted her name.

Palin fired up fans with a reference to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"I know some of the experts were tough on the Rays. I've been there," Palin said. "Florida knows a little something about turning an underdog into a victor, and together that's something we can do."

The speech quickly turned fierce, as Palin repeated her criticism of Democratic candidate Barack Obama for his Chicago ties to Bill Ayers.

Ayers was a founder of the violent Weather Underground group during the Vietnam War era and now is an education professor who has advised Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

Palin referred to a New York Times article that called Ayers a domestic terrorist.

"His own top adviser said they were, quote, 'certainly friendly,' " Palin told the sea of supporters dressed in red and blue and chanting, "USA, USA, USA."

"In fact, Obama held one of his first meetings of his political career in Bill Ayers' living room."

Obama has denounced the radical views and actions taken by Ayers in the past and says that other than an early campaign coffee Ayers hosted for him, they have only crossed paths on occasion.

On Sunday, Obama dismissed the criticism about Ayers as "smears" meant to distract voters from real problems such as the troubled economy.

But Palin was holding her ground. She spent the weekend hammering the Ayers link, and her message varied little over the past three days, from Long Beach, Calif., to Omaha, Neb., to the waterfront park in Clearwater.

"This is someone who sees America as 'imperfect enough' to work with a former domestic terrorist who targeted his own country," Palin said.

The Obama campaign in Florida described the speech as a series of negative attacks.

"Even McCain's own advisers acknowledge that, as we saw today with Gov. Palin, their campaign has to engage in negative false attacks in order to distract voters from a failing economy, " said Adrianne Marsh, spokeswoman for the state campaign.

Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000 who now supports Sen. John McCain's bid for the White House, introduced Palin in Clearwater.

"I'm here as a Democrat elected as an independent to support the Republican ticket. Why do I do that? Because as each and every one of you know, country matters more than party," Lieberman said.

Palin will spend the next two days campaigning in Florida. She will speak to supporters at the Germain Arena outside of Fort Myers this afternoon, then address crowds Tuesday in Jacksonville and Pensacola.

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