Does Obama believe in free speech for his opponents?

Washington Examiner Editorial:

Democrats such as Barack Obama are increasingly showing a disturbing eagerness to invoke the power of the state to silence critics. The latest example of this growing anti-First Amendment mentality is Obama’s heavy-handed response to a television ad by an independent nonprofit that raises some very basic questions about the Illinois senator’s relationship with William Ayers, the unrepentant 1960s terrorist bomber.

Obama’s campaign has encouraged supporters to flood television stations with protests whenever they see the ad. Nothing wrong with that, but the other thrust of the Obama response was to ask the Justice Department to intervene to stop further airing of the ad. That’s where Obama crossed the line and raised a question of fundamental importance — does he or does he not believe the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech?

The ad was produced by a tax-exempt nonprofit, the American Issues Project, whose primary donor is an individual previously associated with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the controversial group that ran television ads in 2004 questioning Sen. John Kerry’s account of his Vietnam service. Fox News and CNN have declined to air the ad, but it has appeared on numerous other stations.

Here’s the key portion of the ad’s text: “Barack Obama is friends with Ayers, defending him as, quote, ‘Respectable’ and ‘Mainstream.’ Obama’s political career was launched in Ayers’ home. And the two served together on a left-wing board. Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol and is proud of it? Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?”

The Obama campaign describes the ad as “false, despicable and outrageous,” according to The Associated Press. If the ad is false, the Obama campaign should have no trouble refuting it, which would likely be sufficient to persuade stations to decline the ad. Yet we’ve seen no such refutation.

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I assume the Obama complaint is that the ad implies guilt by association. I think it really ask a more fundamental question. Why would you choose to associate with unrepentant terrorists? I know I have no friends who have proclaimed they are proud of terrorist acts and wished they had done more. I suspect that most people reading this also have no unrepentant terrorist friends.

I note that Ayers is refusing to discuss the relationship. I suspect that refusal is based on a belief that whatever he might say would not be helpful to Obama's election prospects. That silence speaks volumes.

Below is the video Obama does not want you to see,