Two Bloggers’ Work Makes Closeness of Obama-Ayers Ties More Obvious Than Ever

(SEE UPDATE below on the status of the building at 115 S. Sangamon in Chicago)

_______________________________________

Two recent finds noted by bloggers have put further dents in the Obama campaign’s core claim about its candidate’s relationship with Bill Ayers, the unapologetic domestic terrorist who has not ruled out recidivism, as seen here at Obama’s FightTheSmears.com home page:

The first was discovered by SeeDubya, former weekend blogger at Michelle Malkin’s site. SeeDubya came out of retirement for one morning to note a neighborly reference to Obama by Ayers in the former Weather Underground leader’s 1998 book on parenting.

The second is the revelation by blogger Verum Serum that Obama and Ayers were located on the same floor of a what I can show was a small building — for three years.

Here is the passage SeeDubya spotted in Ayers’s “A Kind and Just Parent” (a fuller text scan is at the link):

Ayers’s take on Farrakhan and his security detail also would seem to raise questions about the nature of Obama’s relationship with the Nation of Islam leader, including whether the Obamas feel they owe Farrakhan or his flock any future favors for the extra level of protection Ayers clearly feels the Fruit have provided.

Then there are Verum Serum’s findings:

(The) Chicago Annenberg Challenge website from 2002 shows the total amount of funds given to Bill Ayers’ Small Schools Workshop from 1995 to 2001. ….. According to this page, the total given under Barack Obama’s direct supervision was $1,056,162. Adding that amount to the money given by the Joyce Foundation and Woods Fund during Obama’s tenure brings the grand total to $1,968,718. Just shy of two million dollars! That’s a lot of scratch, to put it bluntly. And don’t forget, this doesn’t count the 3/4 million that went to John Ayers during the same time period.

….. (Also) Bill Ayers and Barack Obama shared an office. Ayers’ Small Schools Workshop, the one Obama directed all that money too (sic) is located at 115 S. Sangamon Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607.

….. In 1998, the address for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, where Obama presumably worked, was 115 S. Sangamon Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607.

Verum Serum has screen grabs supporting his same-address claim at his post, including web archive and tax return evidence that both the Annenberg Challenge and the Small Schools Project were located on the third floor.

If that was indeed the case, this Google Earth look, with address identifiers added by me, would indicate that there was not much, if any, elbow room between the two organizations (a larger version of the graphic is here):

115 S. Sangamon appears to have been demolished. A search at the Cook County Assessor’s office for addresses between 100-150 S. Sangamon has no listing for 115 S. Sangamon St. (See UPDATE below for the building’s status):

The orange box added to the Google Earth shot approximates where 115 S. Sangamon might have been be.

With each additional finding, certainly including the ones noted here, it becomes even more obvious that the Fight the Smears site is where the “outright false” claims reside.

It also becomes ever clearer that Old Media’s steadfast refusal to investigate the Obama-Ayers relationship beyond the most superficial level has been journalistically negligent, more than likely deliberately so.

“Tenuous,” schmenuous.

Cross-posted at NewsBusters.org.

_________________________________________________

UPDATE, Oct. 20: Correction — 115 S. Sangamon still exists, while not being on Google Earth (what’s THAT all about?).

It is on a “Demolition Hold List” with the City of Chicago (HT FReepers and Gateway Pundit). Here’s a picture:

Another view is here.

Relevant floor space: 30×80, maybe 30×100–about the same maximum square footage I speculated about earlier (speculation since removed).

Relative proximity of 3rd floor occupants — pretty well established.