On October 17, The Washington Post reported: “The Republican National Committee has also begun making automated phone calls in Virginia and in other battleground states that talk about [Sen. Barack] Obama's connections to 'terrorists,' a reference to the Vietnam War-era radical William Ayers.” However, the Post article, presumably referring to a “robocall” that is reportedly being used in several states, including Virginia, did not report that the narrator in the call itself says that it was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 as well as the RNC.

CNN.com reported on October 16 that according to Republican Party sources, " 'Hundreds of thousands' of calls are being made in at least six hard-fought states including Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio. Some are recorded 'robocalls,' while others are live to comply with relevant state laws. The calls are being paid for jointly by the Republican Party and the McCain campaign, according to a script provided by the Republican Party. The 'robocalls' criticize Obama on national security, his opposition to an Illinois measure that called for doctors to provide medical care to babies who survive botched abortions, his connection with former '60s radical William Ayers and his response to the financial crisis." The script of the ad is as follows:

Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500.