Write Obama's Ayers Response

It appears that McCain intends to bring up William Ayers in tomorrow night's debate -- apparently if you double-dare him to do something, he can't back down.

It's widely assumed that Obama has been goading McCain into this because he assumes that the ensuing exchange will benefit him. So I ask you: what do you think Obama will (or should) say in response to McCain challenging him to come clean and fully explain his relationship with Ayers the unrepentant terrorist?

Here's my submission:

John, I've renounced Ayers's despicable acts, and explained the limited interaction I once had with him in Illinois. I think I've done that to the satisfaction of American voters -- who, quite frankly, don't seem to be interested in whether we can dig through every person or group you and I have ever met, and find some with dubious ethical judgment. I don't think that's how they're judging which of us will reverse the eight years of dubious ethical judgment we've had in the Bush administration, where nobody ever pays any consequences for their behavior. Remember when George Bush promised to fire whoever leaked Valerie Plame's identity? Or all the revelations of wrongdoing in the Justice Department? Or overseeing no-bid contracts in Iraq, where pallettes of cash disappeared? Or politics trumping science in the FDA or EPA? For eight years, we've had cover-ups instead of consequences -- we've had administration officials refusing to respond to subpoenas, or testifying that they can't remember anything that they did. The American people want to know that we won't run our administration like that. But you know what? You've made one hiring decision for your administration. Your choice for vice president. And a bipartisan commission found that she abused her power and violated state ethics law. That's their finding, finding number one in their report that came out Friday. And I haven't heard you say one thing about it -- I haven't heard you say that her actions were wrong, or that you would not allow that kind of behavior in your administration, or that you in any way disapprove of that abuse of power and violation of ethics law. So, you can keep looking backward and talking about who I once knew, or served on a board with. If you think that says something about my judgment, and how I might run my administration, OK. But what does it say about your judgment, John, and how you'll run your administration, that your running mate abused her power and violated ethics law?And that you don't seem to care?