Historian Rashid Khalidi was leaving the University of Chicago for the post of director of Columbia University’s Middle East Institute in 2003 and a going-away banquet was held in his honor.
Among those in attendance were old hippie radical terrorists William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. Among the speakers reportedly singing praises to Khalidi — and his position regarding Israel — was then Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama.
Khalidi is known for his extreme pro-Palestinian i.e. anti-Israeli views.
Anyway, a tape was made of the proceedings and since 2008 that tape has been locked way in a safe in the Los Angeles Times Building. All petitions for the newspapers to report the news and release the tape have gone unanswered.
In a completely unrelated matter, The Obama administration has, for the first time, opened formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood.