GOP Head Compares Obama to Bin Laden

Joe McCain apologized, saying he was trying to make a joke. But Frederick is not sorry.

"It is just the hard facts. It's terrible that it can be said, but it can," Frederick said. "It's shocking. Here is a guy who is one step away from the presidency, who is one step away from being commander in chief, who has a friend who bombed the Pentagon. It's just shocking to me." He added, "And there is no denying that Osama bin Laden had a role in bombing the Pentagon."

Ayers once hosted a gathering for Obama when the candidate first ran for the Illinois state Senate in 1995. The two also served together on a nonprofit board that distributed educational grants in the city.

Obama has denounced Ayers's actions in the 1960s and 1970s and describes him as "a guy who lives in my neighborhood."

The independent group PolitiFact.com has called the GOP attacks on Obama for serving on the same board as Ayers "malicious."

"It unfairly tars not just Obama, but all the other prominent, well-respected Chicagoans who also volunteered their time to the foundation," PolitiFact wrote.

James E. Hyland, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, said he thinks that the GOP efforts to link Obama to Ayers could backfire.

"I don't think the associations with Ayers is going to work in Fairfax," Hyland said. "What we are looking for up here is answers on the economy, experience and impact of [McCain's and Obama's] policies on the federal workforce."

But Frederick said he will continue to speak about Obama's ties to Ayers. "This man simply is not ready to lead," Frederick said of Obama.