“Bill Ayers lives in his neighborhood. Their kids attend the same school,” he said. “They’re certainly friendly, they know each other, as anyone whose kids go to school together.” He called Ayers current defense of his 1960s bombings “objectionable, and I think Barack would also say that was objectionable. I don’t think he’s ever had an in-depth discussion [with Ayers] about them.” And he cast the whole subject in the context of Obama’s broader message. “We can relitiigate again and again these 40-year-old battles,” he said. “He thinks what was done then was wrong and outrageous, and he believes that you can’t defend the indefensible – but he’s looking forward, he’s not looking back.”