Cordoba House

Republican Orrin Hatch Stands Up For Cordoba House (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2010, 1:26PM

Sen Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

A conservative Republican Senator has now come out strongly against efforts to block the construction of the Cordoba House Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

In an interview with the local Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City, Hatch stated his support and past work for religious freedom. "So, if the Muslims own that property, that private property, and they want to build a mosque there, they should have the right to do so," said Hatch. He also discussed his past experiences dealing with discrimination against the construction of Mormon temples -- and when his late friend Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) helped him to resolve just such a dispute in Boston.

Hatch acknowledged that there have been objections to the construction of the center, on the grounds of sensitivity and whether it should be built, but ultimately he came down on the side of the right to build it without interference. He also added: "And there's a huge, I think, lack of support throughout the country for Islam to build that mosque there, but that should not make a difference if they decide to do it. I'd be the first to stand up for their rights."

It should be noted that there has been much discussion about a possible right-wing challenge against Hatch for his party's nomination in 2012, just as his co-Senator Bob Bennett lost renomination at the state convention this year. If that were to come to pass, don't be surprised to see these comments used against him.

(via Think Progress)

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Jon Stewart

Bloomberg: Cordoba House Controversy Is All About The Elections (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 27, 2010, 10:22AM

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg continued his defense of the Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero on The Daily Show last night, telling Jon Stewart that "there's nothing new" about the planned project. "The difference is we're in election season," Bloomberg said, "and this whole issue I think will go away after the next election."

He added: "This is plain and simple people trying to stir up things to get publicity, and trying to polarize people so that they can get some votes."

Stewart was glad that the Mayor was defending the Cordoba House, because "I would like to build a synagogue -- reform -- in St. Patrick's cathedral."

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Cordoba House

Poll: Less Than A Quarter Of Americans Have 'Favorable' View Of Islam

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 26, 2010, 10:47AM

The Islamic Circle of North America-NY hosts a rally.

Proponents of the Cordoba House project planned for Lower Manhattan have said that one of the project's goals is to build a mutual understanding between American Islam and the non-Muslim American majority. A new national poll shows there's a long way to go before that vision is a reality.

The survey of 1,082 adults conducted this week by CBS found just 24% of respondents had a "favorable" view of Islam. Nearly 40% said they had an "unfavorable" view of the second-largest religion on the planet, while 37% said they don't have an opinion on the faith.

Not surprisingly, those numbers translated into very little support for the Cordoba House project. Just 22% of all respondents said it was "appropriate" for the Muslim cultural center to be built near Ground Zero, while 71% said it was "inappropriate."

Among the plurality who hold an unfavorable opinion of Islam, support for the project was almost nonexistent. Nine percent said it was appropriate for Cordoba House to be built, while 88% said it was inappropriate. Those holding a favorable view of Islam split on Cordoba -- 50% said building it was appropriate, while 42% said it was inappropriate.

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Cordoba House

Fmr. Bush Adviser Ken Adelman: Bush Should Publicly Support Cordoba House (AUDIO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 25, 2010, 4:00PM

Ken Adelman

Former Bush and Reagan adviser Ken Adelman said today that he fully supports the planned construction of the Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero, and is "a little disappointed" that former President George W. Bush hasn't come out in support of it as well.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Bloomberg At Iftar Dinner: 'Islam Did Not Attack The World Trade Center' (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 25, 2010, 3:28PM

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg

New York City Mayor Bloomberg re-upped his support last night for the right of Muslims to build the Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero. Speaking to Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan with an Iftar dinner, Bloomberg reiterated that "we are not at war with Islam. We are at war with Al Qaeda."

He added that the debate over the proposed site must be "civil and respectful."

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Cordoba House

Chris Matthews Calls Out Rick Lazio For Exploiting Cordoba House For Campaign (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 24, 2010, 6:56PM

New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio has been focusing a lot of his campaign's attention on opposing the proposed Cordoba House Islamic center near Ground Zero, and today on Hardball, Chris Matthews took him to task for playing politics with the controversy. Matthews asked Lazio how he responds to those who say the focus "has a lot to do with the fact that you're down 30 points in what looks to be your upcoming general election fight with Andrew Cuomo for governor."

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Cordoba House

Karl Rove: Cordoba House Imam's Role Under Bush No Big Deal, But Obama Plays Politics (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | August 24, 2010, 4:45PM

more at fox.com August 18, 2010

Former top George W. Bush operatives are really distancing themselves from the Bush administration's relationship with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Karl Rove said last night on Fox News that he wasn't aware until "recently" that Rauf was sent abroad by Bush's State Department to talk about the Islamic faith.

Laura Ingraham, filling in for Bill O'Reilly, asked about Rauf "working" for the Bush administration.

"I'm not sure working is the right title," Rove said, trying to frame Rauf's role as part of "bureaucratic" State Department decisions that are determined "apolitically." Rove's evidence included the fact as a young Republican he was named to a youth delegation during Jimmy Carter's administration.

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Cordoba House

Santorum: Rauf 'Is A Jihadist, He's Just Not A Violent Jihadist' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 24, 2010, 12:19PM

Feisal Abdul Rauf and fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) is pronouncing that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the Cordoba House community center project, is a jihadist -- just a not a violent one.

Appearing last night on Greta Van Susteren's Fox News show, Santorum pointed to Rauf's past comments about American foreign policy, when he said that the United States had more innocent Muslim blood on its hands than al-Qaeda had innocent non-Muslim blood on their hands.

"My thinking was all along if he made the statements that he made, he probably had a lot more that are going to be found out. This man is not a moderate Muslim. This is someone who believes the United States has blood on their hands, that the United States is responsible for this. He is a jihadist, he's just not a violent jihadist. That does not make him a moderate."

So there you have it: Being against American foreign policy means a person is a jihadist -- that is, an enemy of America -- even if they're not violent about it. Question about this non-violent jihad stuff: How does one non-violently commit an act of terrorism?

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Cordoba House

Ron On Rand: My Son Is Not Islamophobic (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2010, 12:17PM

Ron Paul

After ostensibly dissing his son -- and politicians like him who oppose the Cordoba House project in Manhattan -- over the weekend, Ron Paul took to the airwaves to defend Rand Paul's view on the project while also making it clear he disagrees with it.

To recap: Rand, like many politicians running in tight races this year, is opposed to building the Muslim community center, and has further called on American Muslims to donate the money that would be spent on building the community center to 9/11 victims' families as a show of "reconcilliation." In a blog post over the weekend, Ron Paul ripped into views like that, claiming that any opposition to the project was "all about hate and Islamaphobia."

In a pair of CNN interviews last night and this morning, Ron stuck to his guns about the community center project -- opposition is nothing but a political game being ginned up by bigots. He even went so far as to say he and Rand are on "different sides" of the issue. But he said Rand's opposition to the project did not suggest he's bigoted toward Muslims.

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Cordoba House

The Dems Who Have Spoken For Cordoba House

Eric Kleefeld | August 24, 2010, 8:45AM

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

With all the attention we've given to politicians who have attacked the Muslim community center set to be built near Ground Zero in New York, let's take a different look at the story: A list of the Democratic politicians who have stood up in support of it.

Opposition to the project has been brewing for weeks, and the issue came to a head a week and a half ago, when President Obama voiced his support for the right of organizers to build it.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Hundreds Protest Islamic Center In Downtown Manhattan]

Since, some Dems have come out and said that the project should be moved -- most notably Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who nevertheless affirmed the right of Muslims to build it. So let's look at the other side of the equation: Dems who have spoken out on the project's behalf, both before and after Obama's remarks.

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Cordoba House

Ron Paul On Cordoba House Split With Son: Rand Is His Own Man

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 3:16PM

Ron Paul

Ron Paul says he's not his son's keeper when it comes to the roiling debate over an Islamic cultural center planned for lower Manhattan. After it became clear today that the legendary Texas libertarian and his Kentucky GOP Senate nominee son, Rand, differ over the proposed Cordoba House project -- Ron rips critics for treading on the Constitution, while Rand takes the politically popular I'm-against-it-at-Ground-Zero view -- I asked Ron's congressional spokesperson to weigh in on the divide.

"Rand Paul is his own man," Rachel Mills said in an email this afternoon. It's a terse but to-the-point response that suggests an acknowledgment from the Ron Paul camp that, when it comes to the rights of Muslims to build where they please, the elder and junior Paul do not see eye-to-eye.

To recap: Rand Paul says that the Cordoba House shouldn't be built, and that the money that was to be used to build it should be donated to a 9/11 victims' fund instead as a sign of unity. Ron Paul calls rhetoric opposing the project "all about hate and Islamaphobia."

Cordoba House

Rand vs. Ron? Cordoba House Drives Wedge Through The Paul Family

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 23, 2010, 12:45PM

Rand and Ron Paul.

Are Ron and Rand Paul on opposite sides of the Cordoba House debate? Rand, running for Senate in Kentucky, has taken the standard GOP line on the project -- namely, it's up to New York officials to decide the project's fate, but personally he's against it. And now, in an extremely strongly-worded statement posted to his movement's website Friday, father Ron ripped into opponents of the Cordoba House project, saying that the rhetoric taking on the plan is clearly "all about hate and Islamaphobia."

Neither Paul immediately responded to a request for comment on their difference in language. But the Cordoba House appears to be an issue where Rand is very publicly breaking from this father's dyed-in-the-wool libertarianism, which often leaves the elder Paul standing alone against the GOP establishment.

Last week, Rand's campaign told TPMDC that that he was among the many politicians on both sides of the aisle who think that building an Islamic cultural center in the old Burlington Coat Factory two blocks from the site of the 9/11 attacks on New York is bad idea. Rand even offered his own suggestion about what American Muslims should do with the millions they'd need to spend building the project -- namely, not use it to build the Cordoba House.

"While this is a local matter that should be decided by the people of New York, Dr. Paul does not support a mosque being built two blocks from Ground Zero," Paul spokesperson Gary Howard told me. "In Dr. Paul's opinion, the Muslim community would better serve the healing process by making a donation to the memorial fund for the victims of September 11th."

The elder Dr. Paul has harsh words for views like that.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Federally Funded Religious Freedom Commission Packed With Anti-'Mosque' Members

Brian Beutler | August 23, 2010, 11:28AM

Protesters against a proposed community center and mosque near ground zero called Cordoba House.

As we reported last week, one of the fiercest and most influential critics of the Cordoba House project, Dr. Richard Land, splits his time between his leadership role in the Southern Baptist Convention and as a member of the federally funded US Commission for International Religious Freedom. Mother Jones dug in a bit deeper to find that other members of the commission, in their capacities outside the USCIRF, have opposed the Islamic cultural center as well.

One John Boehner-appointed commissioner, Nina Shea, took to the National Review's website (in a post since removed and archived here) to promote the idea, common in right-wing circles, that the "mosque" could become a "tool for Islamists." She wrote:

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WI-SEN

WI-SEN GOPer Ron Johnson: Construction Workers Should Boycott Cordoba House

Eric Kleefeld | August 23, 2010, 9:56AM

Republican candidate for Senate Ron Johnson (WI).

Ron Johnson, a businessman and the likely Republican nominee against Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), is voicing his opposition to the proposed Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York. Furthermore, he's calling for construction workers to boycott the project if the city and state won't revisit the matter and block it.

As the Racine Journal Times reported on Friday:

"Those folks are trying to poke a stick in our eye," Johnson said. "I just hope the zoning officials and the city, the state revisit that, rezone that piece of property."

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate continued: "If they don't do it I hope the construction workers in New York show their outrage and say we are not going to do that."

So this is what it takes for Republicans to support organized labor...

The TPM Poll Average currently gives Johnson a lead of 48.8%-46.9% over Feingold. Previously, Feingold came out strongly against the center's opponents, calling the opposition "one of the worst things I've ever seen done in politics."

Cordoba House

Karen Hughes Opposes Cordoba House, Neglects To Mention Her Relationship With Its Imam

Christina Bellantoni | August 23, 2010, 9:48AM

Karen Hughes

We'd been wondering when Bush administration officials were going to step forward to remind everyone who is worked in a tizzy over the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York City that the project's booster did international religious outreach for the United States.

The answer came -- sort of -- this weekend, when Karen Hughes penned a Washington Post op-ed saying that organizers should "move the mosque."

Hughes sounds many of the same notes we've heard frequently from opponents over the last few weeks. But what struck us is that Hughes failed to mention her own work with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf as he was dispatched around the globe to discuss the Islamic faith in America on behalf of the Bush administration.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Anti-Mosque Movement Draws Support From Controversial European Politician

Brian Beutler | August 20, 2010, 6:00PM

A mosque in Detroit (protesters decrying a planned Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero in New York inset).

Pamela Geller, the woman who arguably touched off the weeks-long fight over the Cordoba House, is organizing a September 11 protest to stop the project, and she's invited some of America's most high-profile conservatives to attend. But she's also enlisting the help of one of the most controversial anti-Muslim politicians in Europe.

Joining Geller and Andrew Breitbart, among others, will be Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the controversial anti-Muslim leader of the right wing Freedom Party in the Netherlands.

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Rick Lazio

NYC Firefighters, Police Sergeants Protest Lazio's Use Of 9/11 Imagery (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 20, 2010, 12:07PM

NY gov. candidate Rick Lazio (R)

New York gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio (R) is getting a lot of flack for his video that uses 9/11 footage to oppose the proposed Cordoba House Islamic center a few blocks from Ground Zero.

Most recently, the New York City firefighters union sent Lazio a letter expressing "surprise and disappointment" that Lazio would use the imagery for an attack ad against Democrat Andrew Cuomo, and urging him to remove the video.

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Howard Dean

Olbermann Pushes Dean On Cordoba House Stance (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 20, 2010, 10:54AM

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean appeared last night on Countdown, to defend his remarks that the Muslim community center project near Ground Zero in New York should be moved to a different location. During the interview, Dean called for a dialogue between 9/11 families and the center's organizers -- and insisted that he was not associating himself in any way with the outspoken opponents on the right such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin.

Keith Olbermann mentioned during his introduction of Dean that Arshad Hasan, the head of the Dean-founded liberal political group Democracy For America, has criticized Democrats -- without directly mentioning Dean -- who have sought to compromise with an "implacable opposition." And Olbermann put tough questions to Dean, such as asking what compromise he can imagine people like Gingrich and Palin would accept.

"Yes, I don't think the Sarah Palins and Newt Gingriches have any interest. They're clearly exploiting this for whatever political gain they think they can get out of it," said Dean. "But I think there are some people of good will, perhaps, including some of the families of the victims that we might actually sit down around a table with. This is a tough issue I think some of my own folks on my end of the spectrum of the party are demonizing some fairly decent people who are opposed to this. And, again, in no way am I defending, you know, the right wing of the Republican Party.

"But there are 65 percent of the people in this country are not right-wing bigots. Some of them really have deep emotional feelings about this. And I think we at least ought to respectfully hear them and sit down with Muslim-Americans and with some of the people that object to this, and have a thoughtful, reasonable dialogue and see what comes out of it. And in order for it to be a fair, thoughtful and reasonable dialogue, you have to be willing to move."

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Cordoba House

Freedom Of Churches And Mosques Protected In...Arizona

Eric Kleefeld | August 20, 2010, 8:44AM

Habibulllah Saleem in Phoenix, Arizona.

It turns out that there is a state in the union that has enacted a broad standard of religious equality that would fully allow for the development of religious community structures such as the Cordoba House in downtown New York City, without regard to the religion of the organizers. This center of enlightenment and civil libertarianism is none other than...Arizona!

That's right. The same state that passed a tough new immigration law this year, and flirted with one requiring presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates, also passed a law this year that would expand religious freedom in the matter of building houses of worship. And its conservative proponents fully acknowledge that it applies equally to Muslims as it does to Christians.

As the Arizona Republic reported:

State lawmakers strengthened churches' rights this year, passing a law that prohibits cities and towns from using zoning codes or land-use rules to restrict where religious facilities such as churches, mosques or synagogues can locate.

Planned mosques in New York, California and Tennessee have spurred community opposition recently. But any mosque planned for Arizona could build where it pleased, as long as it complied with any local zoning and building requirements that would apply to other development.

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Cordoba House

Feingold Rips Cordoba House Opposition

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2010, 2:15PM

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) is strongly supporting the right of Muslims to build a community center near Ground Zero in New York, saying that its opponents are guilty of "gutter politics."

He called the opposition "one of the worst things I've ever seen done in politics."

WisPolitics reports:

Asked where he comes down on the proposal to build a mosque and community center near the site of the World Trade Center attacks, Feingold said it's tragic there isn't a proper memorial at the site.

"It's just wrong after all these years that there isn't that kind of memorial," he said.

Feingold said those who are looking to use the issue as a political wedge are guilty of "gutter politics" and "one of the worst things I've ever seen done in politics."

"In the end I believe in freedom of religion," he said. "If somebody owns property and it's within the zoning rules, if they want to build a house of worship that is a fundamental right. And I would make the point I am for freedom on this point, and freedom of religion is fundamental."

'Ground Zero Mosque'

Jack Conway Echoes Rand Paul With Cordoba House Stance

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 19, 2010, 2:05PM

Kentucky Democratic Senate nominee Jack Conway

Kentucky Democrats waiting to hear their Senate nominee's take on the controversial Cordoba House project in lower Manhattan finally got their answer today -- and it sounds a lot like the response from GOP nominee Rand Paul.

"I think we have to keep the families of the victims of 9/11 foremost in our minds and because of that I would prefer to see it located elsewhere," Conway told the Knox County, KY Times-Tribune. Conway also said the project is "an issue for New York primarily."

Earlier this week, this is what Paul's campaign told me about their man's take on Cordoba House:

"While this is a local matter that should be decided by the people of New York, Dr. Paul does not support a mosque being built two blocks from Ground Zero," Paul spokesperson Gary Howard said. "In Dr. Paul's opinion, the Muslim community would better serve the healing process by making a donation to the memorial fund for the victims of September 11th."

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Cordoba House

Grassroots Or Astroturf? Signs At 'Mega Mosque' Protest Were Pre-Printed (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | August 19, 2010, 2:00PM

A protest against the 'Ground Zero Mosque' in New York.

Conservatives are having fun with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that there is some sort of conspiracy uniting the opponents of the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero, but a closer look at some of the early protests suggests at least some coordination.

Check out the video embedded below, footage from a June protest that you've probably seen many times on television in recent days.

Organizers of the protest boasted 10,000 people and say their energy triggered an increase in coverage. What struck us about the footage were the pre-printed signs condemning what opponents call a "mega mosque." Many had the Web address for Pamela Geller's anti-Muslim group Stop Islamization of America printed right on them.

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John Hall

NY Dem Rep. John Hall: Build Cordoba House Somewhere Else

Jillian Rayfield | August 19, 2010, 12:14PM

Rep. John Hall (D-NY)

Rep. John Hall (D-NY) said in a statement yesterday that he opposes building the proposed Cordoba House Muslim community center so close to Ground Zero: "I think honoring those killed on Sept. 11 and showing sensitivity to their families, it would be best if the center were built at a different location."

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Charlie Rangel

Rangel: I'm 'Proud' Cordoba House Developers Are 'Sticking To Their Guns'

Jillian Rayfield | August 19, 2010, 11:43AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) came out in support of the proposed Cordoba House Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero yesterday, saying that he's "kind of proud that they're sticking to their guns and saying this is where they would want to worship."

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Cordoba House

Franken: Attacks On Cordoba House 'One Of The Most Disgraceful Things That I've Heard'

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2010, 11:28AM

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) is slamming conservative opposition to the Muslim community center project near Ground Zero in New York City -- the city where he formerly resided for many years -- calling the attacks against it "one of the most disgraceful things that I've heard."

Franken made the remarks during an appearance in Springfield, Illinois, the State Journal-Register reports, at an event for Democratic county chairmen. Franken also alluded to the unfamiliarity with New York City that many people actually have in regard to this story. "I don't know how many of you have been to New York, but if a building is two blocks away from anything, you can't see it," said Franken.

Franken got in a joke, as well: "It's a community center. They're going to have a gym. They're going to have point guards. Muslim point guards."

On a more serious note, he also added: "They (Republicans) do this every two years. They try to find a wedge issue, and they try to work it."

'Ground Zero Mosque'

Influential Donor May Bolt From GOP Over Anti-Muslim Hysteria

Brian Beutler | August 19, 2010, 11:24AM

A woman holds a sign in protest of the Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision to clear the way for a mosque near Ground Zero.

An influential Muslim GOP donor is at the end of her tether, and tells TPM she may eventually have to leave the Republican party over its opposition to the Cordoba House project and other anti-Muslim positions.

"I don't know if I'll be a Republican a year from now," says Seeme Hasan, who chairs the Hasan Family Foundation in Colorado, and has close ties to the Republican party leadership. Hasan's frustration with the GOP was evident, and not just over their public opposition to the construction of a Muslim cultural center in lower Manhattan. "Every time a Muslim person becomes famous, they are viciously attacked," Hasan said.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Time Poll: 61% Of Americans Oppose Cordoba House

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 19, 2010, 10:32AM

Protesters against a proposed community center and mosque near ground zero called Cordoba House.

A new poll from Time magazine out this morning suggests it's not a great time to be a Muslim in America if you're trying to build a community center in lower Manhattan or hoping to get nominated to the Supreme Court or run for President.

Simply put, it's not a great time for American Muslims to try and exercise those Constitutionally-granted rights of theirs.

The poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly oppose the planned Muslim community center near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan -- and overwhelmingly support the notion that building it is an insult to the the families of the victims of 9/11. Sixty-one percent of respondents to the poll said that the Cordoba House shouldn't be built at the site of that old Burlington Coat Factory, while "more than 70%" concurred "with the premise that proceeding with the plan would be an insult to the victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center."

So it seems property rights are out for American Muslims. Just 55% of respondents said they'd be happy with a mosque being built two blocks from their own home (by contrast: more than 70% said they'd be OK with a Catholic church or Jewish synagogue built in the same location.)

It seems that, according to many Americans, public service for Muslims isn't a great career move, either.

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Howard Dean

Howard Dean Says Cordoba House Should Be Built Somewhere Else (AUDIO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2010, 6:36PM

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean

Another very prominent Democrat now says the planned Cordoba House Muslim community center in New York City should be moved away from the vicinity of Ground Zero: Former Democratic National Committee chairman and ex-presidential candidate Howard Dean.

"I've gotta believe there has to be a compromise here," Dean said during a radio interview. "This isn't about the right of Muslims to have a worship center, or Jews or Christians or anybody else to have a place to worship, or any place around Ground Zero. This is something we ought to be able to work out with people of good faith. And we have to understand that it is a real affront to people who've lost their lives -- including Muslims. That site doesn't belong to any particular religion, it belongs to all Americans and all faiths. So I think a good, reasonable compromise could be worked out, without violating the principle that people ought to be able to worship as they see fit."

Dean said that after having met so many objections, the center should be moved somewhere else, but that this should be done with the cooperation of its organizers. He also said: "I think it's great to have mosques in American cities. There's a growing number of American Muslims. I think most of those Muslims are moderate. I hope that they'll have an influence on Islam throughout the world, because Islam is really back in the 12th century in some of these countries like Iran and Afghanistan where they're stoning people to death. And that can be fixed. And the way it's fixed is not by pushing Muslims away, it's by embracing them and have them become just like every other American -- Americans who happen to be Muslims."

Perhaps Dean is right, and the Muslim center could be moved to South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Dakota, or New Mexico. Or it could go to California or Texas, or somewhere else in New York. Or perhaps it could go to South Dakota, or Oregon, or Washington or Michigan -- or even to Washington, D.C. Yeah.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Influential Mosque Opponent Promotes Religious Freedom Abroad For U.S. Government

Brian Beutler | August 18, 2010, 5:07PM

A protest against the 'Ground Zero Mosque' and Dr. Richard Land, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, inset.

As president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Dr. Richard Land is an influential opponent of the Cordoba House project in New York. But when he's not speaking on behalf of one of the most powerful religious bodies in the country, Land has a second -- some would say ironic -- ecumenical role: member of the federally created United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In his role as a commissioner, Land's job is to press for a U.S. foreign policy that advances religious freedoms around the world. Reached by phone today, Land maintained that there is no contradiction between his service on the Commission and his efforts to see the Cordoba House Islamic cultural center project moved farther north in Manhattan.

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Cordoba House

Anti-'Mosque' Geller: 'Strip Clubs Didn't Bring Down The Towers'

Christina Bellantoni | August 18, 2010, 4:47PM

Conservative activist Pamela Geller

Pamela Geller, one of the most prominent opponents of the proposed Islamic center two blocks from the former World Trade Center, said today in an interview the treatment of the "South Park" creators is a prominent factor in her quest to stop the center from being built.

Geller, author of the book, The Obama Administration's War on America, is the force behind the anti-Muslim group Stop Islamization of America and the Atlas Shrugs blog but insists her opposition to the Islamic center is not racist or bigoted. "It's a common decency issue," she said.

In a lengthy phone interview today with TPM, Geller cited her problems with Islam and its practices; offered spotty historic references and cherry picked the things she doesn't like about those "non-secular" Muslims while swearing she has no problem with most members of the Islamic faith.

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Cordoba House

Peter King: Gingrich Was Wrong To Compare Cordoba House Organizers To Nazis (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | August 18, 2010, 3:37PM

Rep. Peter King (R-NY)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) says Newt Gingrich went too far when he compared developers behind the Cordoba House Muslim community center in New York City to Nazis. His comments echo those made by Pat Buchanan yesterday, who also called out Gingrich for bringing Nazi comparisons into the debate.

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Cordoba House

No Love For Cordoba House In Arkansas Senate Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 18, 2010, 3:23PM

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)

Both nominees for Senate in Arkansas have made it clear they're not interested in signing onto the planned Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.

Republican nominee John Boozman is especially clear on his disdain for the concept of the so-called "Ground Zero mosque." In a post to his campaign blog this week, Boozman dinged President Obama's speech on the Cordoba House as "unfortunate, albeit not entirely unexpected," and further evidence that the White House is "completely out-of-touch with the American people."

As for the project itself, Boozman could hardly have been stronger in his condemnation of the Cordoba House.

"Put simply, the construction of the Ground Zero mosque is an insensitive, aggressive political statement whose principle purpose is to irritate the public and stoke controversy," he wrote. "Instead of acknowledging this reality, the President bought the activists' plea for religious expression hook-line-and-sinker and caved to the winds of political correctness in support of the building."

So Boozman's no fan. But neither is the Democratic nominee, Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

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Cordoba House

9/11 Widower Ted Olson: Obama Was Right On Cordoba House (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2010, 2:07PM

President Obama's position in support of the right of a Muslim organization to build a community center near Ground Zero in New York is now picking up the endorsement of a very prominent 9/11 widower: Former Bush administration Solicitor General Ted Olson.

Olson's wife, the late conservative author and activist Barbara Olson, was a passenger aboard the plane that was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon. This afternoon, Olson appeared on Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC show to discuss his current high-profile legal work on behalf of gay marriage. Mitchell then also asked Olson for his opinion about the Cordoba House issue.

"Well it may not make me hap-- popular with some people, but I think probably the president was right about this," Olson responded. "I do believe that people of all religions have a right to build edifices, or structures, or places of religious worship or study, where the community allows them to do it under zoning laws and that sort of thing, and that we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith. And I don't think it should be a political issue. It shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic issue, either. I believe Gov. Christie from New Jersey said it well -- that this should not be in that political, partisan marketplace."

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Cordoba House

Dino Rossi Hedges (A Little) On Cordoba House

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 18, 2010, 1:22PM

US Senate candidate Dino Rossi (R-WA)

Dino Rossi, the freshly-minted Republican nominee for Senate in Washington, is kicking off the general election campaign with a little have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too take on the topic du jour, the Cordoba House project in lower Manhattan.

Rossi, who's challenging the incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D) in a state usually counted on to be blue, didn't go as far as some of his fellow Republicans when it came to opposing the Muslim community center near Ground Zero. Rather than talk up the "insensitivity" of the project as many Republicans have, Rossi chose to focus on President Obama's recent statements regarding the project.

"I really don't think the President should have waded into this mosque issue. That's not really the direction, I don't believe," Rossi told NBC's Chuck Todd last night. "I don't think anyone disagrees that they have the right to build it. I guess the question is, 'Is it the right thing to do?' I think most Americans would say no, that it isn't the right thing to do. The Governor of New York has even offered to help find a new location. I'd take em' up on it. That's what I think they ought to do."

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NY-GOV

New Lazio Video Uses 9/11 Footage, New Yorker Interviews To Oppose Cordoba House (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 18, 2010, 1:07PM

NY gov. candidate Rick Lazio (R)

Republican candidate for New York governor Rick Lazio has released a new web video that features New Yorkers expressing opposition for the proposed Cordoba House Islamic center two blocks from the site of Ground Zero, in a series of man-on-the-street interviews.

The interviews are accompanied by some somber, dirge-like music, and follow video footage of people running after the World Trade Center towers collapsed on September 11, 2001.

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Cordoba House

Poll: NY State Voters Oppose Muslim Center -- But Back Right To Build It

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2010, 12:55PM

The site of the Cordoba House project

A new Siena poll of New York state finds that registered voters here continue to oppose the construction of the Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York City -- but at the same time, they overwhelmingly say that the Muslim group involved has the constitutional right to build it.

The poll asked: "Do you support or oppose the proposal to build the Cordoba House, a 15 story Muslim Cultural Center in lower Manhattan 2 blocks from the site of the World Trade Center?" Here the top-line answer is 27% support to 63% opposed. As we've seen before, opposition is lower in New York City itself, where 36% support it and 56% are opposed.

A follow-up question asked: "Regardless of whether you personally support or oppose the proposal to build the Cordoba House, do you believe the developers of the Cordoba House have a Constitutional right to proceed with the construction of the mosque and Muslim cultural center or not?" Here the answer is 64% yes, to only 28% no. Indeed, the internals of the poll show that even a majority of people who didn't support the center in the previous question still affirm the right of the organizers to construct it, by a 51%-42% margin within that sub-group.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

GOP Muslims Fear Failure Of Bush Outreach Efforts After Anti-Mosque Furor

Brian Beutler | August 18, 2010, 11:10AM

Fmr. President George W. Bush (R)

After winning nearly 80 percent of the Muslim vote in 2000, George Bush bled much of it away in the post 9/11 era. The war in Iraq, the PATRIOT Act, detainment and other policies drove at least half of that support to John Kerry and third party candidates in 2004. But all the while, several influential Muslim Republicans, both inside the administration and out, were working hard to staunch the bleeding and build a donor base among wealthy members of the Muslim community.

Today, several of them say that their efforts are being undermined, if not completely destroyed, by Republicans stoking anti-Muslim sentiment by opposing the construction of the Cordoba House -- now known infamously and inaccurately as the "Ground Zero Mosque".

"We've been working hard, some Muslim Americans, some non-Muslims, to keep the Muslim American community and other minorities on the party side, to keep relationships going," says David Ramadan, a Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. "All of that is threatened to be thrown down the drain."

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Cordoba House

Rand Paul Elaborates On '9/11 Victims Memorial' Plan For Cordoba House

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 18, 2010, 9:24AM

Kentucky Senate Candidate Rand Paul (R)

Yesterday, Rand Paul's campaign told me that Paul both thinks the Cordoba House project in New York should be left to local officials and also shouldn't be built. In addition, his campaign told me, Paul thinks Mulsims should contribute to the 9/11 victims' memorial fund instead of paying to build the controversial Islamic cultural center.

Today in the Daily Caller, Paul elaborates a bit on that suggestion.

"If the goal of the building's organizers is to reconcile, Paul thinks there's a better way to do that," the Daily Caller's Alex Pappas reports.

"I think reconciliation is best promoted by -- instead of having a multi-million dollar mosque -- maybe having a multi-million dollar donation to the memorial site, would be better for all," Paul told the Pappas.

Interestingly, Paul also doubles down on his view -- suggested by his campaign -- that his take on property rights extends to the Cordoba House project. He takes a swipe at President Obama for his speech about the project over the weekend -- but also offers a subtle rip on politicians of all stripes who are boosting their campaigns for national office with chatter about the Cordoba House.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

The Out-Of-Towners: Politicians From Far, Far Away Fight Muslim Center In NYC

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2010, 8:25AM

The Cordoba House project, the Muslim community center that is set to be built in lower Manhattan a few blocks from the World Trade Center site, has inspired all sorts of opposition. But it's not exactly a not-in-my-back-yard phenomenon. In fact, many of the politicians who have called for stopping the project, and who have spoken of the sacredness of the ground there, aren't from anywhere even remotely nearby to begin with.

Indeed, the intensity of opposition seems to increase as one actually gets further away from the site. And this isn't just for politicians, it's for us regular people, too. A CNN poll has put national opposition at 68%. Meanwhile, a Marist poll of New York City put opposition at a somewhat lower 53%. And furthermore, opposition was lowest in Manhattan -- the site of the actual Ground Zero location and the 9/11 attacks -- where a 53% majority approved of the Muslim community center, compared to 31% against. Opposition then increases in the surrounding boroughs of New York City, a place that has a population larger than many states, and then increases even more going out into the country beyond.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Welcome To The Neighborhood: A Look At The Area Around The 'Ground Zero Mosque']

We decided to use a simple methodology: Using Google Earth, put down a location pin on the World Trade Center site, and then measure the distance to the hometowns of politicians who have slammed the project. So let's take a look at some of these political leaders who come from far and wide, and want to preserve the integrity of the hallowed land with which they don't actually come into regular contact.

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Pat Buchanan

Pat Buchanan Says Newt Gingrich Went Too Far With 'Ground Zero Mosque' Comments (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | August 17, 2010, 6:48PM

Pat Buchanan, the MSNBC commentator who's no stranger to controversial statements, said today that he thinks Newt Gingrich went "too far" when he compared the developers behind the Cordoba House Muslim community center to Nazis. It's "absurd," said Buchanan. "There is no valid comparison there."

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KY-SEN

Rand Paul: Muslims Should Give To 9/11 Victims Fund Instead Of Building Mosque Near Ground Zero

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 17, 2010, 6:39PM

US Sen. candidate Rand Paul (R-KY)

Rand Paul -- whose belief in the absolute preeminence of private property rights has put him in hot water before -- appears to be attempting to thread the needle when it comes to the Cordoba House project in lower Manhattan. He says the project is a local issue that should be left to local authorities to handle -- but he also says that the Islamic community center shouldn't be built in the controversial lower Manhattan site.

What's more, he says, if Muslims really want to do right by the 9/11 families who Republicans say are offended by the Cordoba House project, they should do something else with their money besides building a cultural center.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Welcome To The Neighborhood: A Look At The Area Around The 'Ground Zero Mosque']

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

George Bush Stays Out Of 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fray

Christina Bellantoni | August 17, 2010, 5:39PM

Former President George W. Bush

Republicans for weeks have been surfacing left and right to condemn the proposed Islamic center two blocks from the site of Ground Zero in New York City, but one GOPer stayed quiet. As the "mosque" debate boiled over this weekend the big question was whether George W. Bush was going to weigh in.

TPM asked, and the response from his spokesman today was simple:

"President Bush has no comment."

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Rubio: 'Ground Zero Mosque' Controversy Won't Hurt U.S.-Muslim Relations

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 17, 2010, 4:23PM

Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Marco Rubio says that Muslims in other nations should look fondly on the United States as a bastion of religious tolerance following the Cordoba House flap. Rubio, the Florida Republican running against Independent Gov. Charlie Crist in a tight Senate race, has joined the chorus of politicians publicly opposing the proposed lower Manhattan Islamic cultural center on the grounds that building it would be "opening wounds" from 9/11.

On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, I asked Rubio how he thought views like his would play among moderate Muslims across the globe. (At an event I attended earlier today, some religious leaders suggested that the tough rhetoric opposing the project could have a negative effect on the way Muslims view the United States.)

"I would point out to Muslims all over the world that America is one of the few countries on earth where every faith is represented," Rubio said. "We have a long and cherished tradition of religious liberties and freedom, and none of that is being questioned in my mind."

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Ground Zero Mosque

Tim Pawlenty Says 'Ground Zero Mosque' Imam's Outreach 'Disgusting' And 'Dangerous' (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | August 17, 2010, 2:27PM

Add Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) to the list politicians with selective memory about Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's global outreach on behalf of the United States.

Pawlenty, a presidential hopeful for 2012, appeared on Fox News' "Hannity" last night to decry Obama's support for the Islamic cultural center proposed by Rauf's Cordoba House at a site two blocks from Ground Zero. He also criticized the State Department for sending Rauf on a diplomatic mission to the Middle East, saying that was "disgusting" and "dangerous."

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Religious Leaders Fret Over Lack Of Dem Support For Cordoba House

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 17, 2010, 2:00PM

Imam Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation.

An interfaith group gathered in Washington this morning in an event organized by the Muslim American Society and expressed concern that Democrats were joining many of their colleagues in the Republican Party in calling for the Cordoba House project to be moved from its planned location near Ground Zero in New York City.

The group said it was worried that political concerns were overriding moral ones in the national debate about the project, and they said it looked to them like President Obama and many other Democrats were getting swept up in the stream.

"It's interesting how this evolved," Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation, told reporters. Bray said opposition to the Cordoba House project began on "known Islamophobic websites" before spilling into the tea party and then into mainstream conservatism. From there, he said, it quickly became "a political football."

"I think it speaks to the worst of politics to use that issue to maybe advance" a political agenda, Bray said. He lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who he said was trying to "out-oppose the mosque" with his opponent in the Nevada Senate race, Republican Sharron Angle.

Bray said he was "disappointed" by the direction the political debate has taken and said he was concerned by Obama's recent "couching" of his statement about the rights of Muslims to build religious sites where they wanted. Bray told me he still considers Obama "an ally of the [moral] right" when it comes to Cordoba House.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Giannoulias Supports Islamic Cultural Center Near Ground Zero

Eric Lach | August 17, 2010, 1:25PM

IL-SEN candidate Alexi Giannoulias

Democratic Illinois Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias has come out in support of the Cordoba House project near Ground Zero in New York City, the Associated Press reports.

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Ground Zero Mosque

Key Religious Groups Either Oppose Or Won't Weigh In On 'Ground Zero Mosque'

Brian Beutler | August 17, 2010, 1:19PM

Protesters against a proposed community center and mosque near ground zero called Cordoba House.

Few of the nation's most influential religious organizations have offered support for the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque." A survey of several groups by TPM finds that they either oppose the plan or take no position on the issue.

Most vociferously opposed is the Southern Baptist Convention.

"I take a back seat to no one when it comes to religious freedom and religious belief and the right to express that belief, even beliefs that I find abhorrent," said Richard Land, president of SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, on his weekly radio program. "But what I don't do is I don't say that religious freedom means that you have the right to build a place of worship anywhere that you want to build them."

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David Paterson

Peter King: Paterson And Cordoba House Developers Meeting This Week

Jillian Rayfield | August 17, 2010, 12:56PM

Gov. David Paterson (D-NY)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) said that he spoke to Gov. David Paterson today, and that the governor is planning a meeting for "later this week" with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Rauf is the developer behind the Cordoba House Muslim community center, and according to King, he and Paterson will discuss relocating the controversial building to an "alternate location."

Paterson has previously offered to help the developer acquire state land if he considered relocating farther away from Ground Zero, but was rejected.

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Michael Arcuri

GOPer Abandons Support Of 'Ground Zero Mosque' After Dem Opposes It

Jillian Rayfield | August 17, 2010, 12:37PM

Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY)

Richard Hanna, the Republican congressional candidate in NY-24, was the rare Republican who supported the proposed Cordoba House plans. That is, until his Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. Michael Arcuri, announced his own opposition to the "Ground Zero mosque."

Now, Hanna says that "building a mosque near Ground Zero is insensitive."

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Chris Christie

Chris Christie: Both Sides Using 'Ground Zero Mosque' As 'Political Football'

Jillian Rayfield | August 17, 2010, 11:16AM

NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said yesterday that both Democrats and Republicans are using the Cordoba House Muslim community center as a "political football," and that while the "sensitivities" of 9/11 victims' families are important, "we cannot paint all of Islam with that brush."

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Harry Reid

Reid's Opposition To The 'Ground Zero Mosque' Surprises Dems -- And Leaves Them Vulnerable

Brian Beutler | August 16, 2010, 8:29PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Just before noon today, Sharron Angle pressed Harry Reid to pick a side: "As the Majority Leader, Harry Reid is usually President Obama's mouthpiece in the U.S. Senate, and yet he remains silent on this issue," read a statement from her communications director, Jarrod Agen. "Reid has a responsibility to stand up and say no to the mosque at Ground Zero or once again side with President Obama."

By about 3 p.m., he made his decision: he would publicly break from Obama -- a move that would come as a surprise to many in his party.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of religion," spokesman Jim Manley said in a statement. "Sen. Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else."

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Pro-Mosque Mom Who Lost Pregnant Daughter In Trade Center: 9/11 Families 'Not Monolithic'

Christina Bellantoni | August 16, 2010, 3:28PM

Sign at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan

As plans to build an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York City become political fodder for the fall elections on a national scale, it's become shorthand to imply that all 9/11 families oppose the erection of the mosque two blocks from the site where terrorists downed the World Trade Center nearly nine years ago.

But in fact, no cohesive position has emerged from the thousands of 9/11 families who have been politically influential on many issues in the past. One group which has opposed war has come out strongly in favor of the mosque project, known as Cordoba House. Others have avoided even addressing the issue.

"There is no simple, singular 9/11 group who really should or could speak for all 9/11 family members," said Donna Marsh O'Connor of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a coalition of more than 250 families which recently endorsed the mosque. Since the endorsement, the membership numbers have grown, she said.

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NV-SEN

Reid: Forget Ground Zero -- 'The Mosque Should Be Built Some Place Else'

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2010, 3:13PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has now spoken out on the Muslim community center in New York -- saying that while the organizers are free to construct the project, it should be moved somewhere else.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else," said a statement from Reid spokesman Jim Manley. "If the Republicans are being sincere, they would help us pass this long overdue bill to help the first responders whose health and livelihoods have been devastated because of their bravery on 911, rather than continuing to block this much-needed legislation."

Reid's statement comes after President Obama's comments over the weekend defending the right of Muslims to build the center near Ground Zero, which Republicans immediately pounced upon. Earlier today, Reid's GOP opponent Sharron Angle came out with a statement attacking Obama, and calling upon Reid to speak up: "As the Majority Leader, Harry Reid is usually President Obama's mouthpiece in the U.S. Senate, and yet he remains silent on this issue. Reid has a responsibility to stand up and say no to the mosque at Ground Zero or once again side with President Obama---this time against the families of 9/11 victims. America is waiting."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Welcome To The Neighborhood? A Look At The Area Around The 'Ground Zero Mosque']

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Ground Zero Mosque

How Republicans Might Drag The 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fight Into The Fall

Brian Beutler | August 16, 2010, 2:52PM

Sen. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and President Barack Obama

From Terri Schiavo to "death panels," Congressional recesses have long bred political controversies. But while some (like Schiavo) fizzle, others, (like "death panels") have a lasting impact on policy and politics. An open question for now is whether the row over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" will be with us past August.

Republicans and conservative activists have made no secret of the fact that they want the issue to have legs, but that gets trickier when politicians return to Washington to actually govern. One option Republicans will have to pressure Democrats on the issue will be to force Democrats to vote on the question of whether they support the cultural center and mosque.

"There are no plans to do that at this point," says a top Republican House aide. "It's a month away, and I'd guess any chances we get to message...will be focused on jobs."

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Ground Zero Mosque

Is The Term 'Ground Zero Mosque' This Year's 'Death Panel'?

Brian Beutler | August 16, 2010, 1:51PM

Arguably, the recent partisan griping over the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" really went from a simmer to a boil in mid-July, when former half-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin went on a Twitter rampage, calling on New York Muslims to "refudiate" the Cordoba initiative.

If that were truly the case, it would be a fitting tribute to the role Palin played last August when she popularized the conservative obsession with euthanasia by claiming the Democrats' health care bill contained "death panels."

But in reality, the loaded and inaccurate term "Ground Zero Mosque" had a much more organic rise to prominence beginning this past spring, when Palin and the GOP were instead politicking on the oil spill, the New Black Panthers and other right wing causes célèbre.

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Newt Gingrich

Gingrich Calls Muslim Center Organizers 'Radical Islamists,' Compares Them To Nazis (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 16, 2010, 12:58PM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) appeared this morning on Fox & Friends, and further laid out his opposition to the building of a Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York City. Indeed, Gingrich said that the center's organizers have a radical Islamist agenda of proclaiming their triumph and superiority over America, and he compared them to Nazis putting up a sign near the Holocaust Museum.

"Look this is not about the right -- first of all, there are over a hundred mosques in New York City. So people have the right to free religion, if they want it. I've said it openly, if they want to build this mosque in the South Bronx, I'm all for it," said Gingrich. "Gov. Paterson has offered them state land -- which, interestingly, I don't know of any state that has offered a church or a synagogue free land -- but he's tried to solve the problem by getting them away from the site."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Welcome To The Neighborhood? A Look At The Area Around The 'Ground Zero Mosque']

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Eric Cantor

Cantor Opposes 'Ground Zero Mosque': America Is Built On Freedom Of Religion, 'But Come On' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 12, 2010, 12:30PM

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) has come out strongly against the Muslim community center project near Ground Zero in New York, going so far as to invoke the "come on" exception to America's freedom of religion.

"I think that is the ultimate insensitivity," Cantor said during an interview with National Review. "Anyone looking at that with any common sense would say, 'What in the world would we be doing, you know, fostering some type of system that allows this to happen.' Everybody knows America's built on the rights of free expression, the rights to practice your faith, but come on.

"The World Trade Centers were brought down by Islamic extremists -- radicals who were bent on killing Americans and accomplished that in unimaginable ways. I think it is the height of insensitivity, and unreasonableness to allow for the construction of a mosque on the site of the World Trade Center bombings. I mean, come on."

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David Paterson

'Ground Zero Mosque' Developer Rejects Paterson's Relocation Proposal

Jillian Rayfield | August 11, 2010, 12:18PM

Gov. David Paterson (D-NY)

The developer behind the controversial Cordoba House Muslim community center has rejected Gov. David Paterson's proposal to relocate from their proposed site a few blocks away from Ground Zero, in exchange for state land to build on elsewhere.

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David Paterson

Paterson Offers State Land If Cordoba House Developers Relocate

Jillian Rayfield | August 10, 2010, 1:47PM

Gov. David Paterson (D-NY)

Gov. David Paterson (D) said today that if the developers behind the controversial Cordoba House agree to move their planned Muslim community center farther away from Ground Zero, he would "look into trying to provide them with the state property they would need."

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John McCain

McCain: I'm Opposed To Muslim Center Near Ground Zero

Eric Kleefeld | August 6, 2010, 4:11PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told The Weekly Standard that a Muslim community center should not be built near Ground Zero in New York, though at the same time he said this was only his own opinion and not a pronouncement on law.

"I understand that I am a senator from Arizona, and I'm a long way from New York City," said McCain. "But I am entitled to my opinion. And obviously my opinion is that I'm opposed to it. I think that it's something that would harm relations, rather than help."

McCain was asked what President Obama, the man who defeated him in the 2008 election, should say about the topic. "I don't tell him what to say," McCain responded. "He should say what he feels."

Anthony Weiner

Anthony Weiner Breaks Silence On 'Ground Zero Mosque'

Jillian Rayfield | August 6, 2010, 3:44PM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

Rep. Anthony Weiner has broken his silence on the controversial Cordoba House Muslim Community Center that will be built a few blocks from Ground Zero, writing a letter to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that says "elected officials should endeavor to stay out of the business of deciding where houses of worship may or may not be."

Weiner does add, however, that "fair questions" should be allowed to be raised.

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Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty: Mosque Near Ground Zero Would 'Degrade Or Disrespect' Hallowed Ground

Eric Kleefeld | August 6, 2010, 11:29AM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a potential presidential candidate, has come out against the Muslim community center that will be located near Ground Zero. And further, he says that its presence would "degrade or disrespect" the area.

As Real Clear Politics reports:

Pawlenty left the mosque matter alone until coming out against the now-approved plan when asked about it for this story.

"I'm strongly opposed to the idea of putting a mosque anywhere near Ground Zero-I think it's inappropriate," he said. "I believe that 3,000 of our fellow innocent citizens were killed in that area, and some ways from a patriotic standpoint, it's hallowed ground, it's sacred ground, and we should respect that. We shouldn't have images or activities that degrade or disrespect that in any way."

Democrats

Where Do NY Dems Stand On The 'Ground Zero Mosque'?

Jillian Rayfield | August 5, 2010, 11:51AM

Clock wise from top left: NY Democratic Senators Kristen Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, NY Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner and Carolyn Maloney.

A lot of attention has been paid to what Republicans are saying about plans to build a Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York City, but many New York Democrats have been relatively silent on the issue.

Here's a round-up of what some prominent New York Democrats are saying -- or not saying -- about the Cordoba House plans, which won a key legislative approval earlier this week.

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Joe Lieberman

Lieberman: 'Put The Brakes' On Muslim Center In New York (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 3, 2010, 12:22PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has added his voice to those who are speaking out against the construction of a Muslim community center in downtown New York, close to Ground Zero, an issue that has become a major cause on the right.

During an interview on the Don Imus show today, Lieberman was asked what he thought of the project. "Well, I guess I'd say I'm troubled by it. But I don't know enough to say it ought to be prohibited. But frankly I've heard enough about it, and read enough about it, that I wish someone in New York would just put the brakes on it for a while and take a look at this.

"If -- obviously in our country we give a special status to people wanting to build houses or worship. And we don't consider what religion it is. So that's what we start with, and what makes this an awkward conversation. On the other hand, if the people building this large Islamic center are just looking to build a large facility and house of worship and center in New York, why so close to 9/11, with all the sensitivity associated with that? If they're doing it so close 9/11 to try to bridge the gap and do outreach, as some have said, it obviously hasn't worked, as a lot of the people who lost family and friends on 9/11 are unhappy with it and troubled by it.

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