Sarah Palin does come a time when you have to take the gloves off and that time is right now." Palin said that her first amendment right to "call Obama out on his associations" was threatened by "attacks by the mainstream media." Palin appeared on "Saturday Night Live"s "Weekend Update" segment on October 18. Prior to her appearance, she had been parodied several times by Tina Fey, who was noted for her physical resemblance to the candidate. In the weeks leading up to the election, Palin was also the subject of amateur parodies posted on YouTube. Controversy arose after it was reported
Bill Ayers 2008 presidential election controversy nine years of service on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago overlapped for three years from 1999 to 2002, indicating that the two knew of each other relatively well. The matter was first raised by the British and American press, then by conservative blogs and talk radio programs, and then by moderator George Stephanopoulos during a debate between Hillary Clinton and Obama in April 2008. The Obama-Ayers connection was used as a major campaign issue by Republican presidential candidate John McCain and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential election campaign. Obama has condemned