Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Last night we discussed Obama's support of the First Amendment vis-a-vis the controversy over the mosque being proposed near Ground Zero. I'm not certain politicians should even get too involved in this matter but one thing that bothered me was that rather than talk about whether this mosque should be built there, he made it seem like it was only a First Amendment issue. If it were, this would be a pretty cut and dry case.
Well, it's only been a few hours but he's backtracking. Here's how Ben Smith put it at Politico:
Speaking to reporters today, President Obama drew a sharp line under his comments last night, insisting that his defense of the right to build a mosque does not mean he supports the project.
"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," he said.
I actually appreciate this distinction and think that this would have been an excellent way to put it in his first comments. It is important for the President to reassert First Amendment principles. It's also important to distinguish between the right to do something and the wisdom in doing it.
I'm worried the less-than-brilliant PR rollout of these sentiments, however, will leave both sides angry.
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Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
I'm waiting for any president to reassert Ninth or Tenth Amendment rights.
May '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
See, people (still!) think he's a great politician, when the truth is that he rode a wave with practically no effort, as the economy collapsed right before the election.
He seems to eventually get these things, like the KSM trial, at the very last moment (pull up! pull up!). Which leads to the question on everyone's mind: after he gets his butt kicked in November, will he pull a Clinton and hire Dick Morris? Maybe, but kicking and screaming. And probably too late.
Jun '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Obama can backtrack all he likes, but he took significant hits on this blunder. People will remember that his first impulse was to side with the rights of Muslims over the sensitivities of New Yorkers. He was foolish for wading into this quagmire at all. Republicans will use this incident as a cudgel over the next ten weeks, and well they should.
May '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
He was for the mosque before he was against it. What a boob. "Ya, whatever" is what Americans will hear now as he tries to mitigate the damage.
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
It's a quagmire indeed. "But a majority of New Yorkers support the mosque!" "But a majority of Americans oppose!" Only a fool or a President would wade in. Could he really have stayed away? What Would Dubya Do? Alas the real quagmire is of Obama's own making -- if you have to say something, you'd better get it right the first time.
May '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
"The anti-mosque demonstrators acted stupidly." Ho-hum, another beer summit.
May '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
This White House makes Charlie Crist look like a man of rock-ribbed conviction. If this whole Senate thing doesn't work out for Crist, he has quite a future as Barack Obama's communications director.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
He pulls this same blunder all the time. He didn't have to say anything about the Henry Louis Gates dust-up, but he charged right into the middle of it and made himself look foolish. He didn't have to act like the gulf oil spill was his problem to fix, but he did, therefore everyone started blaming him when it took so long to find a solution. Modern presidents feel compelled to give their opinions about everything. But sometimes the smartest thing to say is, in effect, "this is none of my business". I don't think our Lecturer-in-Chief is capable of learning this lesson.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
The big news here is that Obama has a conception of "...our founding."
Nah...had to be his speech writer, who then had to explain that it was a phrase that goes over well with the rubes.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
This is another demonstration of Obama's general cluelessness about what the average American is likely to think about anything. Name an issue and chances are Obama is on the other side or trying to get there.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Here's a thought: Obama is not only a terrible executive, he is ALSO a terrible politician.
I am leaning towards the opinion that he's just stark raving neurotic. OK, I haven't seen a photo of him actually frothing at the mouth, so I'll stick with "neurotic" rather than going over the cliff to "mad." But, America, you have a certifiable neurotic loser at the helm of your country. This is definitely not a good thing.
Jul '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
According to the picture that accompanied the article in the New York Times, he made his initial comments during a Ramadan dinner. When has there ever been a Ramadan dinner in the White House? I, for one, plan to see if there is a Christmas dinner or even an Easter dinner at the White House. As to what he said and then unsaid, he has had a major problem with keeping his foot out of his mouth when his teleprompter isn't in place. This is just one further example of that foible.
Jun '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Since his "clarification" of Friday's comments on Saturday, President Obama's spokespeople have "clarified" his position not once but twice.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41069_Page2.html
As with most situations, the first utterance is often closest to one's actual feelings. Therefore it seems to me that President Obama is in full-throated support of the mosque at Ground Zero.
The president's invocation of the Golden Rule seems particularly incongrous. Boiled down, the Golden Rule states: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Would supporters of a mosque at Ground Zero support the construction of a Christian church near the site of an atrocity committed by extremist christians? Color me doubtful.
In this case perhaps we could define a sort of political "Golden Rule":
"Just because something is constitutional doesn't mean one it's a good idea to do it."
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Two things -- I don't know if President George W. Bush was the first president to host an iftar dinner, but he hosted 8 dinners. I believe he was the first to host it in the State dining room, if nothing else.
And I disagree that it's not important for the president to reassert the First Amendment rights of Muslims. That seems to be hugely important.
The big problem in this whole debate has been the muddling of Constitutional rights with propriety. There should be no question that ASMA/Cordoba has the right to build a mosque at the site. That does not answer the question -- being discussed high and low these days -- about whether it's a good idea.
Something can be legal and immoral or otherwise disconcerting.
May '10
Re: Obama Backtracks on the Mosque Endorsement
Are we spending too much time together? That's what I wrote about Michelle Obama's trip to Spain.