Obama playing the news cycle with his unpleasantries

The Obama camp knew all about the photographs of Bill Ayers stepping on the US flag Monday--I mean, it was all over the internet. But the Obama campaign waited until late Tuesday to issue a statement about the 2001 photograph. Tuesday of course was the when the North Carolina and Indiana primaries were held.

From Fox News:

The senator's campaign spokesman said Obama is "appalled by the disrespect" to Old Glory, but decried efforts to associate Obama to the action just because the men know each other.

"Senator Obama is appalled by this disrespect of a flag we love and that so many have fought and died for. There is no excuse for anyone to treat that which we hold so dear with so little regard. But the politics of association required to link Obama to this picture in any way is ridiculous and a silly distraction from the important challenges facing the American people," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

The picture is from a Chicago magazine article in 2001. That is the same time Obama and Ayers served together on the board of a philanthropic organization called the Woods Fund. It is also around the same time that Ayers donated to Obama's state Senate campaign.

The Chicago Tribune reports Obama held a campaign event at Ayers' home in 1995 as he began his political career. Obama has described Ayers, who was a member of the radical group the Weather Underground, as a guy who lives in his neighborhood — and the campaign has said they are on "friendly terms."

The Obama camp is following their familiar pattern...bury bad news when they know bigger news will dominate the headlines.

For instance, the now-disputed Florida Primary took place on January 29--the Obama campaign chose that day to announce that it was donating $70,000 in Tony Rezko-tied cash to charity. But that was four days after ABC News discovered previously unnoticed campaign contributions from people linked to Rezko.

When the incendiary videos of Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, went viral in March, Obama chose that time--while people were focused on Wright--to finally have a sit-down to explain to reporters from the Chicago Sun-Times and the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, free registration required for the Trib link. That almost guaranteed--outside of the Chicago area--that news of the pow-wow would be overlooked--except by political junkies. And those meetings took place on a Friday--with meant that it would be carried in the little-read Saturday newspapers and covered by the largely unwatched Saturday TV news shows. But as the Tribune said in an editorial that day, "Obama should have had Friday's discussion 16 months ago."

Last weekend Barack Obama tried to take the "straight talk" mantle from Senator John McCain. But Obama's version of straight talk seems more interested in playing to the timing of the news cycles. Audacious!

Technorati tags: democrats Barack Obama Obama Politics Bill Ayers terrorism Weather Underground Left Wing Extremists Chicago media John McCain McCain Republican GOP Jeremiah Wright Tony Rezko Chicago Tribune Chicago Sun-Times Indiana North Carolina