From Ayers to Osama?

The head of the Virginia state GOP makes an outlandish comparison between Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden.

WHEN ALASKA Gov. Sarah Palin said Sen. Barack Obama was "palling around with terrorists," that was offensive -- but not offensive enough, apparently, for Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, chairman of the Virginia Republican Party. By "terrorists," Ms. Palin was referring to 1960s radical William Ayers, but Mr. Frederick recently went further, linking Mr. Obama to Osama bin Laden, telling McCain campaign volunteers that "both have friends that bombed the Pentagon." "That is scary," Mr. Frederick said, according to a report in Time magazine. Mr. Frederick, a 33-year-old state delegate from Prince William County, is known for his bombast, but his latest rhetorical blast was ill-timed and unnecessarily provocative. As surrogates for the Republican and Democratic nominees trade verbal jabs and riled crowds shout racially loaded lines, the Republican Party chairman in hotly contested Virginia shouldn't up the ante with such an outlandish comparison.

Mr. Frederick's insensitive comments followed troubling remarks by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a staunch supporter of Mr. Obama. Mr. Lewis likened the politics of Sen. John McCain's campaign to that of segregationist governor George Wallace, saying Mr. McCain and his running mate, Ms. Palin, were "sowing the seeds of hatred and division." Mr. Lewis later said he didn't intend to link Mr. McCain to George Wallace. Mr. Lewis should know better, but he has a long record of championing equality and deserves the benefit of the doubt. Mr. Frederick, who refuses to apologize for his remarks, deserves no such leeway -- this isn't his first far-fetched logical leap. A few months ago, Mr. Frederick charged Democrats with "coordinated and widespread voter fraud . . . throughout Virginia." Asked for proof of one of his more scurrilous claims, Mr. Frederick said, "I bet it exists somewhere."

Both the Obama and McCain campaigns denounced Mr. Frederick's remarks. Even Virginia Republicans have chastised Mr. Frederick. Del. David B. Albo (Fairfax) told us that Mr. Frederick's comments were "ridiculous." "We don't need to make up stuff about Barack Obama," he said. "We can talk about policies to win the election." Virginia has a proud tradition of responsible leadership, and the pragmatism of Republicans such as Rep. Tom Davis and Sen. John W. Warner stands in stark contrast to Mr. Frederick's fear-mongering. Is this really the leader Virginia Republicans want?