On the October 10 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly purported to defend his false October 8 assertion -- documented by Media Matters for America -- that Sen. Barack Obama did not cast a vote on a Senate amendment denouncing both an ad by MoveOn.org that targeted Gen. David Petraeus and "Swift Boat" attacks on Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). O'Reilly claimed that in his October 8 remarks, he was not referring to an amendment sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), which Obama voted for, but rather to an amendment "sponsored by [Sen.] John Cornyn [R-TX] that also condemned MoveOn," which Obama did not vote on. But on October 8, O'Reilly explicitly said that the amendment Obama did not vote on was one that condemned both the MoveOn Petraeus ad and "the Swift Boating of Kerry." While both amendments condemned the MoveOn Petraeus ad, the Cornyn amendment did not condemn the Swift Boat attacks, while the Boxer amendment -- which, again, Obama voted for -- did.

On the October 10 broadcast, responding to the Media Matters item noting his October 8 falsehood, O'Reilly said: "[Media Matters for America CEO David] Brock tells his Kool-Aid drinking audience that Barack did vote for an amendment sponsored by Barbara Boxer that denounced MoveOn and attacks on John Kerry. What Brock does not tell his Kool-Aid drinking audience is that Obama refused to vote on another Senate amendment, this one sponsored by John Cornyn that also condemned MoveOn. That was the vote I was referring to." He continued: "Now, I should have pointed out there were two amendments. Obama did vote for the Boxer amendment, but he did not vote on the Cornyn amendment. So that's my fault. I should have been clearer on that, but I am not a liar, and Brock is, in addition to being a pinhead."

But during his October 8 radio show, O'Reilly said: "You know, we did some research into [Obama's] vote on MoveOn. MoveOn ran the Petraeus ad. They had a vote in the Senate condemning that action, along with -- and I did not know this -- condemning the Swift Boating of Kerry." O'Reilly then said, "It was in the same amendment -- same amendment -- that, you know, when you challenge someone's patriotism, that is wrong. Obama did not vote."

However, of the two measures, only the Boxer amendment condemned both "the Petraeus ad" and the "Swift Boating of Kerry." As Media Matters has documented, Obama did, in fact, vote for the Boxer amendment condemning the Petraeus ad, as well as other attacks on past and present members of the military, including Kerry. From the Boxer amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008:

(4) In 2004, a Senator from Massachusetts who is a Vietnam veteran and the recipient of a Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts, was personally attacked and accused of dishonoring his country.

(5) This attack was aptly described by a Senator and Vietnam veteran as ''dishonest and dishonorable.''

(6) On September 10, 2007, an advertisement in the New York Times was an unwarranted personal attack on General Petraeus; who is honorably leading our Armed Forces in Iraq and carrying out the mission assigned to him by the President of the United States.

In contrast to the Boxer amendment, Cornyn's amendment makes no reference to Kerry or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The Cornyn amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 in full:

At the end of subtitle E of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1070. SENSE OF SENATE ON GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS.

(a) FINDINGS. -- The Senate makes the following findings:

(1) The Senate unanimously confirmed General David H. Petraeus as Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, by a vote of 81-0 on January 26, 2007.

(2) General Petraeus graduated first in his class at the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

(3) General Petraeus earned Masters of Public Administration and Doctoral degrees in international relations from Princeton University.

(4) General Petraeus has served multiple combat tours in Iraq, including command of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during combat operations throughout the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom, which tours included both major combat operations and subsequent stability and support operations.

(5) General Petraeus supervised the development and crafting of the United States Army and Marine Corps counterinsurgency manual based in large measure on his combat experience in Iraq, scholarly study, and other professional experiences.

(6) General Petraeus has taken a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

(7) During his 35-year career, General Petraeus has amassed a distinguished and unvarnished record of military service to the United States as recognized by his receipt of a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two Distinguished Service Medals, two Defense Superior Service Medals, four Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the State Department Superior Honor Award, the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, and other awards and medals.

(8) A recent attack through a full-page advertisement in the New York Times by the liberal activist group, Moveon.org, impugns the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all the members of the United States Armed Forces.

(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE. -- It is the sense of the Senate --

(1) to reaffirm its support for all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, including General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq;

(2) to strongly condemn any effort to attack the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all the members of the United States Armed Forces; and

(3) to specifically repudiate the unwarranted personal attack on General Petraeus by the liberal activist group Moveon.org.

From the October 10 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Time now for "Pinheads and Patriots." Unfortunately, we don't have a patriot tonight because we have two pinheads. First, the liars at Media Matters are at it again. This man, David Brock puts out daily deceit on the Internet, and the latest is this quote: "O'Reilly falsely claimed Obama did not vote to condemn attacks on Petraeus and Kerry," unquote. Brock tells his Kool-Aid drinking audience that Barack did vote for an amendment sponsored by Barbara Boxer that denounced MoveOn and attacks on John Kerry.

What Brock does not tell his Kool-Aid drinking audience is that Obama refused to vote on another Senate amendment, this one sponsored by John Cornyn that also condemned MoveOn. That was the vote I was referring to, and Brock knew it, but Brock is a weasel and a liar, and he always does this.

Now, I should have pointed out there were two amendments. Obama did vote for the Boxer amendment, but he did not vote on the Cornyn amendment. So that's my fault. I should have been clearer on that, but I am not a liar, and Brock is, in addition to being a pinhead.

During an appearance on the October 9 broadcast of The Bill Cunningham Show, Jerome Corsi, author of The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, claimed that he "came out of Kenya" with "documents" proving that Sen. Barack Obama "made a pact with this radical leftist politician [Kenyan Prime Minister Raila] Odinga who is perfectly happy to expand Islamic Sharia law in Kenya and have tribal violence to get power." Specifically, Corsi said: "Tomorrow, in WorldNetDaily, I'm going to publish Obama's email listing the contact in his Senate office to work with Odinga. I can prove that Odinga signed this agreement to expand Sharia law, that the Muslims voted for him and I can prove that Obama knew about that agreement." He later added: "I can show that again Obama continued to work to get Odinga in power even after the tribal violence." However, the emails to which Corsi referred, posted in an October 10 WorldNetDaily article, "appear not to have been written by a native English speaker," as Politico's Ben Smith has noted.

Corsi did not reveal whether he obtained any other "documents" from Kenya besides the emails he mentioned. As Media Matters for America has noted, PolitiFact.com wrote on August 20 that Corsi's claim that Obama "openly supported" Odinga during his 2006 bid for the presidency of Kenya is "false," as Politifact "scour[ed] the public record for evidence that Obama supported Odinga" and concluded that "Obama has remained neutral in Kenyan politics."

Based on the alleged connection between Odinga and Obama, Corsi asked: "Is Obama going to expand Sharia law in the United States when he gets into power? Is he going to, in fact, engage in tribal violence and other -- or other kinds of violence in order to advance his goals?"

The two emails Corsi purportedly obtained while in Kenya -- which he claims were sent from Obama's Senate email account to Odinga's Yahoo.com email account -- were published in an October 10 "WorldNetDaily Exclusive" by WND news editor Bob Unruh, titled "Proof Obama backed ruthless, foreign thug." Unruh reported: "One e-mail purportedly from Obama, dated Dec. 22, 2006, read, 'I will kindly wish that all our correspondence [be] handled by Mr Mark Lippert. I have already instructed him. This will be for my own security both for now and in future.' " The second e-mail stated, "Thanks for contacting me about Mr Lippert through email. Contact him through mark_lippert.obama.senate.gov." Lippert was described in July by The New York Times as "Obama's former Senate foreign policy adviser" and by Newsweek as "Obama's longest-serving foreign policy adviser." The email address contained in the second email, "mark_lippert.obama.senate.gov," does not appear to be valid, because it does not contain an "@."

In an October 10 post on his Politico blog, Ben Smith wrote of the emails Corsi purportedly obtained in Kenya:

After a bit of a lull, the viral emails and general nuttiness is cresting again, and my favorite "scoop" of the day is Jerome Corsi's WorldNetDaily report on secret emails between Obama -- personally -- and a Kenyan political leader.

A small glitch: These emails, [pictured] above, appear not to have been written by a native English speaker, unless 'I will kindly wish...' is a phrase I'm just unfamiliar with. They have the unmistakable flavor of solicitations from dying African princes, who need only your bank account details to make you wealthy beyond measure.

At least the Bush National Guard documents were written in the right language.

Notwithstanding the question of whether the emails are in fact from Obama, they do not support statements made by Corsi on the Cunningham broadcast that "I can prove that Odinga signed this agreement to expand Sharia law" or that "Obama knew about that agreement." Nor do they show that "Obama continued to work to get Odinga in power" or that "Obama's been supporting him," as Corsi also claimed.

Rather than challenge Corsi on the veracity of his assertions, Cunningham, whose show is based at Cincinnati radio station WLW, said to Corsi at the conclusion of the interview: "God bless you. That's Jerome Corsi. The truth will set you free. America will hook up with Kenyans and have an Odinga-Obama administration controlling this country? Are you willing to fight like a warrior poet or will you succumb and simply fall over dead? Be a wolverine in the high ranges of the Rockies."

From the October 9 broadcast of Clear Channel's The Big Show with Bill Cunningham:

CORSI: Well, the press conference was explosive, because I could show a link that Obama and Odinga had been in touch since 2006, even through Obama's Senate campaign office. Tomorrow, in WorldNetDaily, I'm gonna publish Obama's email listing the contact in his Senate office to work with Odinga. I can prove that Odinga signed this agreement to expand Sharia law -- that the Muslims voted for him. And I can prove that Obama knew about that agreement. I can also prove those tribal violence -- Odinga lost in December 2007 -- the Luo, his tribe -- Obama's tribe -- killed 1,000 Kikuyu. They burned down 800 -- 800 churches destroyed, some of them burned down.

And I can show that, again, Obama continued to work to get Odinga in power even after the tribal violence. So, this guy Odinga's a very bad guy, and yet Obama's been supporting him despite evidence of how bad Odinga is. So, you know, it raises questions. I was gonna raise questions in the press conference. Is Odinga -- does Obama -- are they both for the expansion of Sharia law? Is the tribal violence to gain power OK with both of them? Because I can show the documents and prove that what I was saying in The Obama Nation is true, and everything I wrote in Chapter Four was more than validated.

[...]

CORSI: Now, I came out of Kenya at least with the documents, again to prove what I wrote in the book is true, and that Obama made a pact with this radical leftist politician Odinga, who is perfectly happy to expand Islamic Sharia law in Kenya and have tribal violence to get power. You know, is Obama gonna expand Sharia law in the United States when he gets into power? Is he gonna, in fact, engage in tribal violence and other -- or other kinds of violence in order to advance his goals? I mean, this is very, very radical behavior, and I can document it with what I came out of Kenya with, despite the attempt to suppress me and arrest me.

CUNNINGHAM: Well, Jerome Corsi, WorldNetDaily.com and also The Obama Nation. I read -- I look at your website every day, several times a day, and it's great work, and I'm glad your safe. Hey, do you look forward to your next trip to Kenya?

CORSI: The final immigration officer closing the door, said, "Don't ever come back to Kenya and see you in hell." I said, "Boy, they oughta appoint you minister of tourism under an Obama administration."

CUNNINGHAM: Jerome Corsi, you're a great American.

CORSI: Thank you, Bill. Great honor to be with you.

CUNNINGHAM: God bless you.

CORSI: God bless you.

CUNNINGHAM: God bless you. That's Jerome Corsi. The truth will set you free. America will hook up with Kenyans and have an Odinga-Obama administration controlling this country. Are you willing to fight like a warrior poet, or will you succumb and simply fall over dead? Be a wolverine in the high ranges of the Rockies. Do not give up the fight to keep hope alive.

Marc Ambinder:
Senate Race Rankings: 57+ For Democrats  —  Every analyst does their own version of Senate race rankings.  They're easy to do and they draw traffic.  Mine are below.  The polls close in Kentucky at 6:00 pm ET, so we'll have a pretty good idea pretty early if Democrats will hit 60 Senate seats.

In October 10 articles, The New York Times and The Associated Press uncritically reported Sen. John McCain saying of Sen. Barack Obama's relationship with William Ayers: "Senator Obama said he was just a guy in the neighborhood." The Times reported that McCain added, "We need to know that's not true," while the AP reported McCain added, "We know that's not true, we need to know the full extent of the relationship." In fact, contrary to McCain's claim, Obama did not use the word "just" when describing Ayers as "a guy who lives in my neighborhood." Indeed, during the April 16 Democratic primary debate, co-moderator George Stephanopoulos said to Obama: "An early organizing meeting for your State Senate campaign was held at his [Ayers'] house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem." Obama said of Ayers: "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from." Obama added, "He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis," and went on to say that Ayers' Weather Underground actions were "detestable."

From the April 16 Democratic primary debate:

STEPHANOPOULOS: A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He's never apologized for that.

And, in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough." An early organizing meeting for your State Senate campaign was held at his house and your campaign has said you are "friendly."

Can you explain that relationship for the voters and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?

OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about. This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense, George.

Additionally, neither the Times nor the AP noted their previous reporting that Obama and Ayers were not close. The Times reported on October 4 that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8' "; the AP reported on October 5 that "there is no evidence that they [Obama and Ayers] ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts."

By contrast, McClatchy reported McCain's quote but added that "Obama has condemned the violent 1960s activities of the Weather Underground. There is no evidence that Ayers is a close friend or an adviser to his campaign."

From the October 10 New York Times article:

Although Mr. McCain did not mention Mr. Ayers, a founder of the radical group the Weather Underground, by name, his intent was clear in his response to a question about Mr. Obama. A man told Mr. McCain that ''we're all wondering why Obama is where he's at'' in the polls and then asked, ''Is there not a way to get around this media and line up the people he has hung with?''

Mr. McCain responded, ''Well, sir, with your help and the people in this room, we will find out.'' He added: ''Look, we don't care about an old washed-up terrorist and his wife, who still, at least on Sept. 11, 2001, said he still wanted to bomb more. You know, but that's not the point here. The point is, Senator Obama said he was just a guy in the neighborhood. We need to know that's not true.''

Although Mr. McCain raised questions about Mr. Obama's ties to Mr. Ayers in a televised interview last spring, he has refrained from attacking Mr. Obama on the trail for his association with Mr. Ayers in the general election campaign. He had left those attacks to his campaign operatives and Ms. Palin.

Mr. McCain's reference to Mr. Ayers's desire to carry out more bombings was from an article in The New York Times, published by chance on Sept. 11, 2001, about Mr. Ayers and his memoir, ''Fugitive Days.'' The article opened with a quotation: ''I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough.'' Three days later, Mr. Ayers wrote on his Web site that the meaning of his remarks had been distorted.

Most of the bombings attributed to the Weathermen were meant to damage only property, but a 1970 pipe bombing in San Francisco attributed to the group killed a police officer and severely hurt another.

Mr. Ayers is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lives in Mr. Obama's neighborhood. He was named citizen of the year in Chicago in 1997, has worked with Mr. Obama on a schools project and a charitable board, and gave a house party when Mr. Obama was running for the State Senate.

From the October 10 Associated Press article:

McCain also referenced Obama's connection with 1960s radical William Ayers without mentioning him by name.

"Sen. Obama said he was just a guy in the neighborhood. We know that's not true. We need to know the full extent of the relationship," McCain said.

From the October 10 McClatchy article:

Outspent by Obama on TV ads, McCain launched a new Web ad about his opponent's connections to Bill Ayers, the Chicago professor, in which the announcer describes Ayers as a "domestic terrorist" and concludes, "Barack Obama: Too risky for America."

McCain told the Wisconsin crowd, "Look, we don't care about a washed-up terrorist and his wife who still, after Sept. 11, 2001, said he still wanted to bomb more. But that's not the point here. The point is Sen. Obama said he was just a guy in the neighborhood. We know that's not true, we need to know the full extent of the relationship, because of whether Sen. Obama is telling the truth to the American people or not."

Obama has condemned the violent 1960s activities of the Weather Underground. There is no evidence that Ayers is a close friend or an adviser to his campaign.