Roger Simon explains that President Obama has proven unable to adopt the moral flexibility and expediency of which great presidents are made.
I’ve been waiting, watching to see how long it will take to get close to the language of blood libels and stabs in the back as the various demagogues and haters up the volume on the anti-Cordoba House agitation. Well, not too long apparently. Says Sarah Palin, the decision of “those Muslims” to build near the WTC complex “feels like a stab in the heart of collectively American who still have that lingering pain from 9/11.”
See the video.
TPM Reader GP:
Isn’t the quick, easy and proper response to the “hallowed ground” argument to say that the Constitution is ALSO hallowed? How many people have died defending that over 235 years?
It’s an embarrassment that Democrats don’t know how to make the Constitution itself as American as the WTC. Nothing is more American, and turning the tables on the Republicans would make them turn tail with this bogus critique.
I find it a tad rich that Gov. Christie (R) of New Jersey is saying that both sides are using the mosque controversy as a “political football” since pretty much all the political advantage appears to be on the one side and this has all the appeal of kryptonite for Democrats. But give the man credit for being a lonely voice in his party pushing back at least a bit against the current anti-Muslim hysteria.
Richard Hanna, the Republican House challenger in New York’s 24th district was that rare Republican standing up for the right for American Muslims to build a mosque in Lower Manhattan. Until his Democratic opponent, Rep. Michael Arcuri, came out against it. Now Hanna’s decided he’s against it too.
In a dark moment like this when expediency and emotion are carrying the day, I’m thankful that we have a robust and growing political movement which supports a consistent and absolute adherence to the Constitution in all matters, everywhere and at all times.
From TPM Reader HK, an American Muslim …
What has been conspicuously absent from most coverage of the “Ground Zero Mosque” has been actual Muslim American perspectives on it. I wonder how much of this is simply because of foresight, or rather because of a semi-willful lack of touchpoints between the political blogosphere and Muslim community leaders and activists.
If you have a taste for black comedy, here’s some good stuff. Since the early Bush administration the US State Department has been sending American Imams to Muslim-majority countries around the world to talk about religious pluralism and the glories of practicing Islam in America. Twice the Bush administration sent none other than New York Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the Cordoba House project, on one of these trips. And now, as I write, he’s on a third trip to the region (specifically Saudi Arabia and a series of Gulf emirates) to tell audiences what it’s like to practice Islam under our regime of religious freedom and equality.
That must be going great, right?
I can just imagine the fun moments with Rauf dispelling the myths of his benighted Saudi listeners about the place of Muslims in the West.
Of course, if you think that Rauf is back there in the Islamic hood to give the locals an update on his work to place America under the rule of Sharia Law, then the comedy may have a different context.
Where do major national Christian denominations stand on the Cordoba House project? Our Brian Beutler reports.