Much was made in the recent Democratic debate about a connection between Barack Obama and ‘60s radical Bill Ayers, a founding member of the violent student protest group known as The Weather Underground. In the early ‘70s, Ayers was indicted on charges ranging from inciting a riot to conspiracy to bomb federal buildings. The charges were eventually dropped due to a bungled and illegal prosecution, and after ten years living underground, Ayers is now a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also became a neighbor of Obama’s, as well as an officer of the Woods Fund of Chicago, a charity on whose board Obama served as well, for a short time.

When confronted with questions about Ayers, Obama described him as “a guy who lives in my neighborhood,” and apparently, the depth of their relationship goes no deeper than that. But did the aspersions that Obama was somehow connected to a terrorist affect his showing in the Pennsylvania primary?

You can learn more about Bill Ayers on his personal website, and go in-depth about The Weather Underground with Independent Lens.