The N.C. Republican Party is criticizing Barack Obama on William Ayers.

A mailer sent to North Carolina voters links the Democratic presidential candidate to the former member of the Weather Underground.

"Obama has close ties to domestic terrorist," reads a headline.

The mailer is designed to look like a storybook, showing mug shots of Ayers from 1968 and a recent photo of him wearing a Cubs shirt.

"During his reign of terror, Ayers and his organization bombed the United States Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's house and police stations," the mailer reads.

N.C. Democratic Party chairman Jerry Meek criticized the mailer Monday, saying it is part of the worst "smear campaign" he's seen against Obama, but a GOP spokesman defended it is factual.

The state GOP defended a mailer that ties Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with former 1960s radical William Ayers.

"Every word on that mailer is true," said Brent Woodcox, the state GOP spokesman. "William Ayers is a former domestic terrorist who has not shown regret over his crimes. Fact. Mr. Ayers did host a campaign launch event for Senator Obama in Chicago. Fact. Senator Obama and Mr. Ayers know each other and have worked together in the past. Fact. Senator Obama has previously referred to him as a friend."

The Republican flyer was sharply criticized by state Democratic chairman Jerry Meek earlier in the day, saying the ads saying it was "a smear campaign," Rob Christensen reports.

Woodcox said Obama's judgement on the matter is a legitimate issue.

And he denied Meek’s assertion that the flyer tried to mislead by making readers think that comments made about bombing was made by Obama, not Ayers.

"No one would seriously believe that the Democrat candidate for President was involved in the setting of bombs," Woodcox said. "It is delusional paranoia for Chairman Meek to suggest an intent to deceive."

Sen. Richard Burr says bringing up Barack Obama's past associates is fair game.

Talking at a Greenville pizzeria after the Sarah Palin rally, the Winston-Salem Republican said that he doesn't think it's wrong for the McCain campaign to bring up William Ayers.

Palin had just finished linking Obama to the former member of the Weather Underground, bringing out boos from the youthful crowd at East Carolina University.

"I think anybody's relationship is open game," he said. "Clearly, Senator Obama has run from the relationship — said it was not a relationship — and as more facts come out we find out just how close he is with Bill Ayers but also with others."

The Obama campaign has said that he knew Ayers mostly as an education expert in Chicago and did not have close ties with him.

But Burr said that voters would be the judge.

"The American people have every right to judge based upon who he's associated with and who's helped his campaign," he said.