Jack & Jill Politics

Wow — I know it’s tough getting re-elected against someone who thinks 12 year olds who have been raped by their fathers should be forced to give birth or that seniors should eat cat food so that Social Security should be eliminated. But was this really necessary? From USAToday:

President Obama’s comments about building a mosque near Ground Zero incited a tidal wave of responses from talking heads across the political spectrum. At first, the debate broke on partisan lines, with Republicans criticizing Obama’s comments and Democrats defending them. But since Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed Monday that the mosque should be built elsewhere, the spotlight has now turned to how the Democrats will respond.

“The First Amendment protects freedom of religion,” said Reid’s spokesman in a statement. “Senator Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built someplace else.” Reid is the highest ranking Democrat in the Senate and faces a close and contentious reelection bid against Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle in Nevada. Angle released a statement Monday opposing the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero and said “Reid has a responsibility to stand up and say no to the mosque at Ground Zero or once again side with President Obama.”

Reid’s statement went on to say:

If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long overdue bill to help the first responders whose health and livelihoods have been devastated because of their bravery on 911, rather than continuing to block this much-needed legislation.”

On Fri, the President took the high road:

“Let me be clear,” Obama said at a White House dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, “as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone 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,” Obama said, according to CNN.

Facing public freakout, he took the middle road on Sat:

Obama, speaking on Saturday after giving a speech on the Gulf Coast oil disaster in Panama City, Florida, told CNN he “was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there,” referring to the area near ground zero.

“I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding,” the president added. “In this country, we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion.”

Sen. Harry Reid has chosen to take the low road while wrapping himself up in the flag and distancing himself from the president’s principled stand, grounded in the Constitution. Let’s not forget that Thomas Jefferson himself owned and read the Koran. My sincere hope is that the President will stand firm and support the Islamic Cultural Center’s right to build where they please.

I think the Cordoba House folks would do well to publicly distinguish themselves from Al Qaeda. I also think Reid is right to take the GOP to task for their hypocritical lack of support for the first responders who are still suffering the impacts of 9/11. That’s where this conversation needs to go. Yet, I’m appalled that politics would take such a craven course, and Reid’s lack of support for the Prez ain’t appreciated.

That said, NY Gov. David Paterson is the worst offender in my opinion as a man who should know all too well how the tyranny of the majority can work to limit the lives of those who are different. There is a time to stand for what’s right and true and American. And this is that time.