I don't know how close Ayers and Obama are, but I do know that Obama and Michelle are socially friends with Rashid Khalidi and his wife Mona, and that Obama has had many conversations with Khalidi, some of them over meals at the Khalidi home. Michelle recently attended the wedding of Khalidi's daughter. The only reason any of this is important, is that Khalidi was once a spokesman for the PLO and for Yassar Arafat; also he was a founder of the Arab American Action Network, a rabidly anti-Israel network. Obama was one of the speakers at a testimonial dinner in honor of Khalidi, and stated that their discussions have caused him to re-examine his previous views about some things. Ayers was another speaker at the same event.