You can't imagine how shocked I was to hear our Community Organizer promote the mosque at Ground Zero. On Friday evening, in an observance of Ramadan, here's what Obama had to say about the mosque:
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country ... That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances ... This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
Wow. Is this guy sharp or what? Am I the only one getting a bit weary of Obama bringing his community organizer mentality to the podium of the White House? The issue has never been whether or not Muslims have the right to build a Mosque - community center - or whatever they chose to call it. The issue has been WHERE they want to build it. Obama made this statement in the presence of some of this country's most influential Muslims. This was an opportunity for him to address the sensitivity Americans have to the building of this Mosque on the site of a building damaged by the 9/11 attacks ... a site just two blocks from Ground Zero. Obama could have simply said something like this: "The American people have a deep appreciation for freedom of religion and have shown through the history of this country their tolerance of different religious viewpoints. All they're asking of the Muslim community is recognition that many, perhaps most Americans consider the location of this planned Islamic Community Center as hallowed ground. The landing gear from one of the aircraft flown into the World Trade Towers crashed into the very building that will be demolished for the construction of this Islamic center. As President, and on behalf of the people that I represent, I would ask you to reconsider your plans for this project."
But nooooo. Not Barack Obama! The next day, Obama decided to "clarify" his comments:
"I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there," Obama continued. "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."
So .. there you have it. Not one mention of Ground Zero. Not one mention of the sensitivities and concerns of the American people. In fact, he specifically said that he would not comment on that. How's that for leadership? What an amazing disaster this man is.
