From a pool report today, Obama commented on his speech about the Ground Zero mosque:
"Well, my intention was simply to let people know what I thought. Which was that In this country we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion. ..."
Obama's remarks about the mosque near Ground Zero have struck a chord across America. Even some of the skeptics are taking note. This is from Walter Dellinger:
Bravo, Mr. President -- Not 24 hours ago I was despairing over the president's silence on the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy. This was a clear, simple test of principle and courage, and I assumed the president would fail. I was wrong.
...
President Obama took a strong stand in defense of one of the most valued of all American principles: the freedom to practice religion without interference from the government. And he did it in the toughest of circumstances, clear in the knowledge that (because the group in question happened to be Muslim) he would pay a price for this defense of religious liberty that no other national figure would be required to pay.
Bravo, Mr. President.
Let's cite two things to highlight why this is so important, one historic and one modern.
The historic one is Dwight David Eisenhower, running for President and stopping in Wisconsin for a speech. Wisconsin happened to be the home state of Tailgunner Joe McCarthy, a popular figure who had just denounced George Marshall as a serial liar. From PBS:
Dwight Eisenhower found Joseph McCarthy's demagoguery reprehensible. As a military man he had been able to distance himself from petty political crusades in the name of the greater cause. But in 1952, as a first time candidate for the office of the presidency, he found it would be a good deal more difficult to maintain his political purity. When McCarthy delivered a blistering attack against former Secretary of State George C. Marshall, calling him "a man steeped in falsehood," candidate Eisenhower was faced with a dilemma. A popular member of his own party was publicly disparaging a man Ike considered a valued mentor. Eisenhower's personal and political instincts came into conflict during a campaign stop in McCarthy's home state of Wisconsin. Eisenhower was prepared to deliver a defense of Marshall, praising him "as a man and a soldier," and condemning the tactics of McCarthy as a "sobering lesson in the way freedom must not defend itself." But noble intentions gave way to political reality. Aware of McCarthy's huge base of support and not willing to risk losing votes in a crucial state, Eisenhower delivered his speech minus the defense of Marshall and the condemnation of McCarthy. It was a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Obama did what Ike didn't. Bravo.
Our modern cite shows why it's so important Obama did this. The setting is Tennessee:
Residents demand construction on Mosque be halted
Several county residents spoke at Thursday night's monthly Rutherford County Commission meeting in opposition to a proposed Islamic Center on Veals Road.
Most demanded construction be halted and stopped short of demanding the buried body of a Muslim on their property be exhumed.
The 52,000-square foot Islamic Center of Murfreesboro was approved earlier this year by the Regional Planning Commission under a new state law that allows religious institutions to build whatever they want in residential neighborhoods as a "use of right."
Residents who spoke want the county commission to reconsider their approval claiming Islam is not a religion and expressing fear that Islamic Sharia law will be imposed on Murfreesboro citizens.
Sharia law will be imposed on locals? Like I said, Obama's remarks were essential.
By tackling this early and forcefully, Obama has made clear what American principles are, and it’s important to do so now and in the future. In places far from Ground Zero, locals are fighting mosque building with an incredible amount of ignorance, hatred and bigotry (fear of being made subject to Sharia law , among other false claims.) Obama’s remarks represent the best of America, while parochialism, prejudice and fear represent the worst.
He'll take flak from the nutters and haters, and there'll be more fear and prejudice that can't be fixed with a single speech, but the President has to set the standard. On this issue, that's exactly what happened.
Update [2010-8-14 19:31:16 by DemFromCT]::
Statement from Bill Burton on POTUS's mosque comments today:
"Just to be clear, the President is not backing off in any way from the comments he made last night.
It is not his role as President to pass judgment on every local project.
"But it is his responsibility to stand up for the Constitutional principle of religious freedom and equal treatment for all Americans.
What he said last night, and reaffirmed today, is that If a church, a synagogue or a Hindu temple can be built on a site, you simply cannot deny that right to those who want to build a Mosque.