Obama book under scrutiny

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- An academician in England has been recruited to determine if Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's autobiography was written by a former 1960s radical.

Philosopher Peter Millican of Hertford College has developed a computer program he says can detect when works are by the same author by comparing words and phrases, The Times of London reported Sunday.

The newspaper reported Millican was contacted last weekend and offered $10,000 to assess similarities between Obama's bestseller, "Dreams from My Father," and "Fugitive Days," a memoir by former Weather Underground leader William Ayers.

Robert Fox, a California businessman and brother-in-law of U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, made the offer to Millican, the newspaper said.

Millican said Fox "was entirely upfront about this. He offered me $10,000 and sent me electronic versions of the text from both books."