Having mixed feelings about the placement of a mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero doesn’t make you a yahoo. It makes you human. It doesn’t help that the imam in charge, moderate though he may be, once told Americans to “acknowledge the harm they have done to Muslims before terrorism can end.”
Building a mosque near Ground Zero isn’t an obvious way for Muslims to build trust with Americans. It’s an obvious way to help Fox News build ratings and Republicans place a hot-button issue at the center of the November election.
Obama missed his chance, in his initial comments, to recognize the pain and anger involved here. He missed the chance to connect with the many people who view this as a time when what legally can be done is different than what should be done, constitutional protections be darned.
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