After watching Howard Dean's messy, unpersuasive and, quite frankly, idiotic performance on Countdown last night, and in following up what I wrote here yesterday, I want to make a suggestion as to how the White House might nip the xenophobic/Islamaphobic, Fox News led hate campaign, with another, as they say, "teachable moment." Get together with George W Bush, Ted Olson, Michael Bloomberg, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and a handful of the more enlightened 911 family members and give a prime time speech (or perhaps a press conference); use it to reiterate Obama's earlier position, that this is America, we have freedom of religion, and the Islamic Center has a right to be built at the chosen site.
Consider this; George W Bush, Ted Olson, Michael Bloomberg, and Abdul Rauf are all either stakeholders in this drama or have spoken out in favor of religious liberty and against the smearing of Moslems. Bush himself took this position, and certainly had a positive relationship with Abdul Rauf, who now is being unfairly smeared by Republicans.
So, imagine a live speech in which Obama, flanked by these individuals, addresses the nation so as to remind them of the principles of freedom, principles that have, in the past, made this country great. Imagine Obama reiterating the message that we are not at war with Islam, and should never allow ourselves to be seen that way. Imagine him then introducing Abdul Rauf to the country, highlighting the fact that Rauf is very pro-west and pro-moderation. Imagine then these messages being reinforced by Bush, Olson, Bloomberg, and at least a few enlightened 911 victims, all of whom say a few words of their own. Such a moment might go a long, long way toward both healing some of the divide between the Islamic world and the U.S., as well as putting the likes of the hateful GOP and the cowardly Democrats who want the center moved right in their place.
Obama may not want to get any further involved with this story, but too late, he is already involved. And the same people and organizations who are smearing Moslems, smearing the lower Manhattan Islamic center, and smearing Abdul Rauf, are also smearing Obama, that is, people taunting the President by referring to him as Imam Obama. And Obama knows this. These people are the scum of the earth, and need to be stood up to. They are bullies. They hate democracy. They are anti-American.
Whether George W. Bush would stand with Obama against the hateful scum of his own party would remain to be seen. Given, though, that he is trying to promote a legacy of having reached out to the Islamic world with a friendly hand, however much BS and spin that might be, he might be persuadable.
but with or without Bush, Obama ought to assemble these players and offer up to the country, and the world, this important teachable moment.