Stanley Kurtz was on the airplane on his way to Chicago to view the records involving Obama’s participation in Ayers’ Chicago Annenberg Challenge when he was told there was a problem with them. The grad student librarian with whom he’d been communicating had told him that the records had been vetted and catalogued, so they would be free for viewing.
Once he’d arrived, a head librarian told him, first, that there was sealed information there, and Kurtz countered that 5 of the 74 files were so marked. He’d make due with the others. He was then informed that there was another issue: the donor hadn’t signed a waiver granting them to the University. They were trying to contact the donor to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, but until then they were off limits.
According to University spokesman Bill Burton, the donor contacted the University a week ago, noting the lack of signed consent. Burton added in today’s interview that he was not in a position to reveal the name of the donor, either. About $45 million was distributed to 250 Chicago-area schools under the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, making it the largest-ever such grant in Illinois history. Much of the money was diverted to Ayers’s hand-picked projects. Obama was at the helm of the non-profit from 1985 to 1988 and stayed on in an advisory capacity till 1991, shortly before the organization disbanded. Ayers, without any notable academic credentials that I’m aware of, has taught at the University of Illinois-Chicago since walking out of jail for his Weather Underground-related activities.
It is worth stressing, as Kurtz does, that the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was a publicly-funded venture. Who should have rights to those records under the circumstances? Apparently, not the public.
I’ve reconstructed the story from the AP, who do mention NRO, without using it for obvious reasons, and there is a little more information added by the author. He, however, seems to feel no compunction about borrowing liberally from Kurtz without ever naming him, so I return the favor here.
The Chicago Annenberg Challenge challenge is for us to make enough of a stink over this that they’ll stop stonewalling at this august institution of higher education.
Hot Air are also on the story.
It seems that the quickest way to resolve the dilemma will be for us to ask the candidate whether he knows who the donor is, and whether he’d try to see to it that the records are released.
Comment by thor on 8/19 @ 11:08 pm #
Evil lurks somewhere. Must find evil. Must find. Must.
Comment by poppa india on 8/19 @ 11:35 pm #
Forget the whole thing, Kurtz. Who cares what’s in the resume of a guy running for president?
Comment by Sdferr on 8/20 @ 1:50 am #
What? Committing acts of research scholarship at a University? What the hell can Stanley Kurtz be thinking?
Comment by bergerbilder on 8/20 @ 2:18 am #
132 boxexs and 947 file folders. Do you think they’d store my private stuff for free? Cuz Those self-storage lockers are kinda expensive.
Comment by topsecretk9 on 8/20 @ 4:22 am #
It seems that the quickest way to resolve the dilemma will be for us to ask the candidate whether he knows who the donor is, and whether he’d try to see to it that the records are released.
This donor is not the same donor I knew.
Comment by Bob Reed on 8/20 @ 4:41 am #
I wrote a letter to the IU prez like Kurtz requested. He wrote me back to say:
“The decision to release the Chicago Annenberg Challenge records is above my pay grade…”
From my understanding, only the attorney general of Illinois could intervene and get access directly…Ya think he will???Jussayin..
I’ll bet good ol’ Bill Daley could get ‘em released real quick; if he thought his phoney-baloney job was on the line…
Comment by topsecretk9 on 8/20 @ 5:58 am #
From my understanding, only the attorney general of Illinois could intervene and get access directly…Ya think he will???Jussayin..
Apparently there is a certain tax legality issue at hand…if the Library takey, the Library takee the tax benefitee
Comment by Salt Lick on 8/20 @ 10:40 am #
These records are explosive because they will be a connecting point between voters’ children and Ayers/Obama’s socialist beliefs.
Comment by Carin on 8/20 @ 12:48 pm #
Nothing to see here … move along …
Comment by Carin on 8/20 @ 12:50 pm #
Salt Lick, as Thor so explicitly explained, this is a non-issue. It’s just another Rethuglian witch-hunt.
Actually, I’m thinking that Kurtz is digging into this issue because he’s racist. And, of course, Dan is racist for bringing it up here at the Pub.
Comment by Dan Collins on 8/20 @ 12:56 pm #
He’s only half-black. I’m only half-racist, like most other TWP.
Comment by Salt Lick on 8/20 @ 1:11 pm #
…as Thor so explicitly explained…
Holy Crap, Carin, why are you capitalizing his name? Did he really get the VP nod?
Yeah, I’m pretty sure Dan wouldn’t talk so racisty if any of “them” were in here. TWP.
Comment by BJTexs on 8/20 @ 1:32 pm #
I mean, What else could it be? It’s not as if there are any questions about the candidate’s level of management experience and we all fired need to examine a significant management position and evaluate his performance or anything, is it?
IS IT? HUH?
Racists! (thor asked me to fill in while he was being vetted for VP)
Pingback by Brave New Wor(l)ds on 8/28 @ 6:56 pm #
[…] Related. Posted by Jeff G. @ 11:45 am | Trackback SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Brave New Wor(l)ds”, url: […]
Comment by dicentra on 8/28 @ 7:49 pm #
Dan:
Make do, not make due.