Obama blunders over New York City mosque

We got an indication of how deeply President Obama has stepped in it this week when New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd compared him unfavorably to George W. Bush.

When Mr. Obama jumped unbidden into the controversy over the proposed mosque and community center two blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood, he committed, arguably, the greatest unforced error in the history of our politics.

The administration's prior position - that this is a local issue the President should stay out of - lacked heroism, but was prudent. When you are on the 30 percent side of a 70-30 issue, silence is golden.

But at a White House iftar dinner to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Mr. Obama gave remarks that nationalized the issue, and turned "a brush fire into a prairie fire," said Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.).

The next day, after a torrent of criticism, Mr. Obama "clarified" his remarks. He was only defending the right of its backers to build the mosque, not expressing an opinion on the wisdom of doing so.

But the right to build the mosque was not in controversy, and the walk back made those who had praised the President for his courage look like fools.

Mr. Obama has put Democrats in close races between a rock and a hard place. If they support the mosque, they'll annoy most swing voters. If they don't, they'll be betraying their President. And because the President raised the profile of this issue so much, they cannot keep silent.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, fighting for his political life in Nevada, thinks the mosque should be built somewhere else. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco district is safe, wants to investigate people who oppose it.

"I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded," she told KCBS radio. "How is this being ginned up?"

Ms. Pelosi's remarks were restrained compared to what some liberal journalists are saying.

Norah O'Donnell of MSNBC compared opponents of the Ground Zero mosque to the 9/11 terrorists. Many have described mosque opponents as ignorant bigots.

Why would they behave in so counterproductive a fashion?

"Liberals, unable to come to terms with the manifold failures of President Obama, are becoming increasingly alienated from our country and its political system," said former Bush aide Peter Wehner. "The public overwhelmingly opposes them on everything … In response, their rhetoric is becoming increasingly shrill."

Jack Kelly is a columnist for The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Contact him at: jkelly@post-gazette.com