Sunday opinion.
Dan Balz:
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine has led a chorus of Democrats contending that Republicans have nominated a group of extremists whose views are far outside the mainstream of the country.
In some cases, that might be correct.
That "might be" is a journalistic substitute for "is". But it still might not be enough, despite it being a mitigating factor.
NY Times:
"Democrats don’t know how to celebrate," said Mr. Dodd, suggesting that his colleagues should be reveling in the achievements of what Democrats and Republicans agree is one of the most consequential Congressional sessions in decades. "In the face of unyielding opposition, this president and this Congress stepped up to pass historic legislation for the good of the country."
Frank Rich:
The Peabody women were among the countless players in these larger civil rights dramas. They are testimony to the courage, big-heartedness and sense of fundamental fairness that can flower in our country in the most unexpected quarters even as the angrier and more malign voices dominate the debate. And sometimes over the long term — an obscenely long term in the case of black civil rights — the good guys and women can win real victories. Make no mistake about it: The Proposition 8 trial, Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision and the subsequent reaction to it (as much a non-reaction as anything else) constitute a high point in America’s history-long struggle to live up to its democratic ideals.
CSM:
In Paris and London, opinion seems split between those who support and even admire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s acceptance of the Islamic center and those who say the 16-story center is inappropriate or a provocation Americans shouldn’t accept.
In France, stories on Mr. Bloomberg’s decision registered surprise that an America often seen here as narrow-minded and Arab-hating proved more open and tolerant in some ways than current French opinion.
"What we see [in New York] is a fair, balanced treatment of communities ....Let the Americans do it their way....most of their founders settled in the US in order to obtain absolute religious freedom, and this is what is being upheld by this [New York City] decision," comments one François Bogard, in a Le Monde forum.
Yet striking among pundits, websites, and bloggers is an often articulate though sometimes churlish depiction of Islam as a single monolithic form of faith, inherently violent and extreme, and of Muslims as incapable of being moderate.
Walter Russell Mead, Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy, CFR :
I've just returned from a two-week lecture tour in Pakistan, a country where the United States and its president are not particularly popular. As I responded to the sometimes hostile and often searching questions from Pakistanis about U.S. attitudes toward Islam, it was very important to be able to point to the Ground Zero mosque as an example of American religious freedom and the rule of law at work.
Every now and then, a country must actually live up to its founding ideals. This is one of those times; American Muslims should have the same rights to build, to preach and to pray as all of their fellow citizens. President Barack Obama is doing what any American president should do in like case: he is standing by the Constitution of the United States.
NY Times:
Mr. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, also held annual Ramadan celebrations and frequently took pains to draw a distinction between Al Qaeda and Islam, as Mr. Obama did Friday night. But Mr. Obama, unlike Mr. Bush, has been accused of being a closet Muslim (he is Christian) and faced attacks from the right that he is soft on terrorists.
"For people who already fear the worst from Obama, this only confirms their fears," said John Feehery, a Republican consultant who spent years as a top party aide on Capitol Hill. "This is not a unifying decision on his part; he chose a side. I understand why he did this, but politically I think it’s a blunder."
White House aides say Mr. Obama was well aware of the risks. "He understands the politics of it," David Axelrod, his senior adviser, said in an interview.
Few national Democrats rushed to Mr. Obama’s defense; party leaders, who would much prefer Mr. Obama to talk about jobs, were mostly silent. Two New York Democrats, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Representative Jerrold Nadler, however, did back Mr. Obama. But Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate for governor here, distanced herself, while Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican-turned-independent, defended the president.
"I think he’s right," Mr. Crist told reporters during an appearance with the president at a Coast Guard station here.
For people who already fear the worst from Obama, everything that happens anywhere confirms their fears. Take a tip from independent Charlie Crist. Get a backbone and defend your President, Democrats. He did the right thing. Now you do the right thing.
Julian Zelizer:
When conservatives brand President Obama a socialist or a foreigner, his aides laugh it off. When critics disparage him as arrogant or aloof, they roll their eyes. But if liberals dare compare Obama to his predecessor in the Oval Office, the gloves come off.