Planned Ayers Talk a No-Go at U. Nebraska

Though the invitation went out months ago, recent protests from politicians, donors and the online community led the University of Nebraska to pull a speaking invitation to William Ayers, the former radical agitator and current Chicago academic who’s become a talking point in John McCain’s criticisms of Barack Obama. The university says it cancelled Ayers’ engagement “for safety reasons," the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Bill Ayers is a well-known radical who should never have been invited to the University of Nebraska. Our citizens are clearly outraged and want action,” Republican Gov. Ben Heineman said. Professors warn that canceling a speech for political reasons resembles censorship, and hurts the university’s academic reputation. (More Election 2008 stories.)