Some of these Democrats speaking out on the Cordoba House project, I mean, jeez, maybe it’s just better not to say anything at all. Dr. Howard Dean, who’s had a lot of sage moments, managed not to have one today about the mosque project.
Here’s a sampling …
“I’ve gotta believe there has to be a compromise here. This isn’t about the right of Muslims to have a worship center, or Jews or Christians or anybody else to have a place to worship, or any place around Ground Zero. This is something we ought to be able to work out with people of good faith. And we have to understand that it is a real affront to people who’ve lost their lives — including Muslims. That site doesn’t belong to any particular religion, it belongs to all Americans and all faiths. So I think a good, reasonable compromise could be worked out, without violating the principle that people ought to be able to worship as they see fit.”
Okay, it’s been a long day. And maybe I’m being uncharitable. But this strikes me as genius. I’m not really sure this is an ‘affront’ to the Muslims who died on 9/11 since they’re dead. But frankly, I’m not sure it’s an affront to their families either.
The families of Muslim Americans who died on 9/11 are insulted that they’re building a Muslim community center a few blocks from the World Trade Center site? I’m not sure I buy that.
And as for the site, are the porn shops on the same block claiming it for their religion? (And can I join?) I mean, what’s so humorous about Dean’s sweating the pain of Muslim 9/11 victim families who are going to be offended about a Muslim community center being built is that I really don’t get a clear sense that Dean has any idea what’s even being discussed. Does he know it’s not at Ground Zero? It’s almost like he piled on some ‘Muslims are Americans too’ and 9/11, 9/11 and the rest and just let his mouth run for a few minutes.
Late Please Make It Stop It’s Too Painful Update: Sam Stein at Huffpo rung up Dean to see if he wanted to revise and extend his remarks and Sam basically ended up giving the good doctor another chance to demonstrate that he apparently doesn’t know anything about what’s going on. Dean says the Cordoba House proponents are being inflexible. And maybe they are. But he also makes clear that he takes “the congregation at its word that it is a moderate congregation trying to heal the wounds of 9/11.” Only there’s no congregation. It’s a investment group (Soho Properties) and a Muslim non-profit (the Cordoba Initiative) trying put this together. Ahh, never mind. But he does point out that “best way to heal the wounds is not to have a court battle, but to sit down and try to work things out.” Good point, only there’s no Court battle. It’s done. They got the approval. Maybe someone will get Mayor Bloomberg ginned up about Muslim plot to make us all eat Halal food. But there’s no court battle.
Doing your homework. What a concept …
