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PJ Mediahttps://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/10/14/the-distinguished-professor-or-more-comic-relief-from-the-university/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usThu, 11 Jun 2026 07:56:24 -0400The Distinguished Professor, or More Comic Relief From the University<![CDATA[Until Barack Obama’s campaign really got going and Obama himself–a cipher in search of the White House–began to attract the normal scrutiny any presidential candidate in this country attracts, Bill Ayers had not had much of a public profile for decades–not since the late sixties and early 1970s when his activities setting bombs and engaging other radical activities as one of the leaders of the Weather Underground made headlines. True, every now and then his name would pop up above the usual news chatter–on September 11, 2001, for example, when, as luck would have it, The New York Times ran one of those friendly, nostalgia-laced profiles of former radicals. Readers could sip their coffee that morning while turning to the Arts section and Dinitia Smith’s coy valentine: ”I don’t regret setting bombs,” Bill Ayers said. ”I feel we didn’t do enough.” Then they could turn on their televisions and watch as the World Trade Towers collapsed after someone else took over where Bill Ayers and his friends left off in their efforts to “smash bourgeois society.”]]>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:36:25 -0400<![CDATA[Roger Kimball]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-kimball/2008/10/14/the-distinguished-professor-or-more-comic-relief-from-the-university-n115289