Of late, Republican presidential nominee, John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, have attacked Senator Barack Obama’s link with William Ayers. So much so that Ayers has become the central figure in a debate over character, judgment and associations in an increasingly bitter presidential race between McCain and Obama.

Ayers gained notoriety as a national leader of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in 1968-69. In June 1969, Weatherman took control of the SDS at its national convention, and Ayers was elected education secretary. Later, he took part in various plots to build bombs and explode bombs, including attacks on the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.    

Now the issue is Obama’s relationship with Ayers, the unrepentant radical who as late as 2001 said he had no regrets about opposing the Vietnam War. After being on the run for years, the federal government’s case against Ayers and his wife, fellow radical Bernadine Dohrn, was thrown out due to illegal wiretaps and prosecutorial misconduct.

Since emerging, Ayers has earned a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree in education and is Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, College of Education. He has published a wide range of scholarly works, and serves on the board of the philanthropic Woods Foundation.

Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley, said in an interview with the New York Times recently: “Ayers has done a lot of good in this city and nationally.”

Ayers lives on the South side of Chicago, where Obama began his political stint. The nature of Obama-Ayers relationship has been the subject of discussion, and Obama said during the Democratic primary debate that he knew Ayers “as a guy who lives in my neighborhood.” He added they served on a charitable board together, and also denounced Ayers’ support for violence.

In fact, it was through his philanthropic work that Ayers first met Obama. Ayers helped author a Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal, which in 1995 won $49.2 million over five years for public school reform. Obama was one of six people tapped to oversee the distribution of grants. Obama and Ayers attended six board meetings together, early in the project.

According to the New York Times reports, Obama and Ayers crossed paths again in 2000-2002, when both of them were serving on the board of the Woods Foundation. Ayers also once made a campaign donation to Obama of $200 when he served in the Illinois State House.