No comment on Bill Ayers being snubbed

For the third time in a row, Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House and the second-most senior reporter on the White House beat behind Connie Lawn, was not recognized for questions at today's daily briefing.

The result is that there were no answers from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs or others at the briefing today on what the president thinks about a university snub of his Chicago buddy Bill Ayers.

One of the questions Kinsolving had prepared to ask was, "Does the president believe that Sen. Robert Kennedy's son, Christopher, and all the rest of the trustees of the University of Illinois at Chicago were wrong to deny the title of professor emeritus to Bill Ayers?"

Ayers, at whose home Obama's political career likely was launched, spent years as a fugitive for his time with the Weathermen. He has yet to express remorse for the bombings planned and carried out by the organization.

In fact, on Sept. 12, 2001, the New York Times published his statement that, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough."

That was when his book, "Fugitive Days," was published.

In his book, "Prairie fire," he included a page dedicated to "all political prisoners in the U.S."

Among the names listed was Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Sen. Robert Kennedy.

Ayers later told Newsweek he had nothing to do with Sirhan being listed and claimed it was done by an artist conveying criticism of national policy of mass incarceration.

That he would not have influence over his own book brought disdain from Christopher Kennedy, who said, "There can be no place in democracy to celebrate political assassinations or to honor those who do."

Christopher is head of the board of trustees of the University of Illinois in Chicago, which employed Ayers for years. At his retirement he became eligible for the honorary title, but the trustees voted 6-0 to deny him the privilege.

Of the some 70 reporters in attendance, Gibbs allowed only 23 to ask questions, including NBC for six questions, the New York Times for five and four from AP, ABC and Bloomberg.

Another question Kinsolving had prepared to ask was whether Obama felt any responsibility as president for government security that allowed thousands of secret documents to be obtained and disseminated by WikiLeaks.

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