Obama’s Mosque Blunder
By Rod Pennington
Friday night President Barack Obama made an unforced error. At a Ramadan dinner at the White House, Mr. Obama came out in support of the building of a 13 story mosque within eyeshot of ground zero for the 9-11 attack. This is the equivalent of President Harry Truman endorsing in 1950 Japan’s plan to build a Shinto Temple in a spot with a view of the USS Arizona at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
This blunder, which couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Democrats who are already on their heels with an election just 75 days away, will take the focus off of the issues they want to discuss. By this being mentioned by the president and the head of their party it will be impossible for them to ignore. This means they will all have to answer the following question: “Do you agree with President Obama that it is a good idea to build a mosque next to the site where 3,000 innocent people were murdered at the hands of Islamic extremism?”
What is baffling is why Mr. Obama even ventured into this area? There is nothing to be gained by coming out in support of something this divisive. The question is will this inflict long term damage or die down in a few days? Obama and his spokesmen seem be doing everything within their power to keep the story alive.
On Saturday, Obama tried to explain what he meant. “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about. And I think it’s very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.”
When that mushy comment only made the situation worse, White House Spokesman Bill Burton, attempted to clarify the conflicting statements. “Just to be clear, the president is not backing off in any way from the comments he made last night (Friday),” Burton said. “It is not his role as president to pass judgment on every local project. But it is his responsibility to stand up for the Constitutional principle of religious freedom and equal treatment for all Americans. What he said last night, and reaffirmed today, is that if a church, a synagogue or a Hindu temple can be built on a site, you simply cannot deny that right to those who want to build a mosque.”
While this is primarily a local issue it will have national implications. In November both of New York’s Democratic senators are facing the voters. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is running for another term and Sen. Kristen Gillibrand is facing a special election for the balance of Hillary Clinton’s term. According to recent polling both candidates were well ahead in their races, but this will cause them a few uncomfortable moments in the debates. You can bet their speechwriters are drafting language that wrap them in the flag while eating apple pie and watching a baseball game.
A place where this may make a difference is the U.S. Senate race in Florida. Gov. Charlie Crist who switched to an independent when it was clear he had no chance in the Republican primary, has come out in support of Mr. Obama. “I know there are sensitivities and I understand them,” he said “This is a place where you’re supposed to be able to practice your religion without the government telling you you can’t.”
Jeff Greene, who is running in the Democratic primary. disagreed with Crist. “President Obama has this all wrong. Freedom of religion might provide the right to build the mosque in the shadow of ground zero, but common sense and respect for those who lost their lives and loved ones gives sensible reason to build the mosque someplace else.”
Republican Marco Rubio whose insurgent campaign sent Crist scurrying away from the GOP said, “It is divisive and disrespectful to build a mosque next to the site where 3,000 innocent people were murdered at the hands of Islamic extremism.”
If this turns into a weeklong story and doesn’t die out after the Sunday talk shows, it is very bad for every Democrat on a ballot this year.
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Posted by The Editors
on Aug 15 2010. Filed under Featured Stories.
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