http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jxyxeyV7EqcuLD6AbP2nDnFj_N-AD93LTGM00COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Barack Obama's campaign is citing the University of South Carolina's speaking invitations to William Ayers and Republican Gov. Mark Sanford's role as school trustee to counter GOP efforts to link the presidential candidate to the 1960s radical.
The governor dismissed the effort as "totally bogus" and said he never heard of Ayers.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said Obama was "palling around with terrorists" and referred to Ayers, an education professor. Ayers helped found the violent Weather Underground group, whose members were blamed for several bombings when Obama was 8. Obama has denounced Ayers' radical views and activities.
The two men live near each other in Chicago, and once worked on the same charity board. Ayers hosted a small, meet-the-candidate event for Obama in 1995, at the start of his political career, but multiple news accounts have said they are not close.
In an e-mail to reporters, the Obama campaign said Ayers is a "distinguished scholar" at the University of South Carolina, where Sanford serves as the ex-officio trustee while governor.
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