Sharron Angle went off on Harry Reid on the subject of the Ground Zero Mosque this morning – she takes the position that while people have the right to build a mosque there, they should show some delicacy of their own and build it somewhere else – and Greg Sargent was practically licking his chops in response. He was of the opinion that making opposition to the President’s position – once we figure it out – a midterm issue would be a bad idea for Republicans, and he leaped on Angle’s opposition:
Angle’s position, apparently, is that the group has the right to build the center but Obama is wrong to have voiced support for that right. After all, he didn’t directly endorse the project anywhere, nor should he have. I would like to hear Reid break his silence on the issue, though.
I’m guessing that Sargent reconsidered that wish, once Reid actually spoke out… and took the position that while people have the right to build a mosque there, they should show some delicacy of their own and build it somewhere else. Which is not surprising: the mosque is extremely unpopular, to the point where it’s even less so than, well, Harry Reid. So much so that Reid’s reflexive adoption of his opponent’s position (no matter how matter it makes knee-jerk liberals pound their heads against the wall) was preferable than taking a contrary stand.
Greg Sargent, once he stopped pounding his head against the wall, had this to say:
Literally seconds after Reid’s statement hit the wire, Republicans blasted out a press release mocking the Dem disarray on this issue with this tagline: “Great moments in August Democratic Messaging.” This just makes the Dems look weak, unorganized, cowardly, and unwilling to take a stand for principles they plainly believe in.
Greg, Greg, Greg: the problem that your party’s leadership have is not that they look weak, unorganized, cowardly, and unwilling. It’s that they are. And the NRSC is perfectly within its rights to point this out.
Moe Lane
PS: Don’t-call-me-Ma’am Senator Boxer?
PPS: Sharron Angle for Senate. I mean, if it’s a choice between a fake Republican and a real one anyway, then why go with Reid? Sheer masochism?
Crossposted to Moe Lane.
Steve Maley
KnightsofMalta
Sounds like they're abandoning their plans
Cheryl (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 5:19PM EST (link)assuming I’m reading this right:
http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/16/muslim-leaders-to-abandon-plans-for-ground-zero-community-center/
“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America, than the whole force of the common enemy.” –Samuel Adams
“The administrative state has inserted its big paws into our houses, from the toilet bowl to the light socket. Now if it would just stretch those paws from the one to the other at the same time, we might begin to recapture the spirit of ’76.” –Scott Johnson, Powerlineblog.com
Others claim that is a false story
K. (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 5:26PM EST (link)ggreenwald
Good: RT @Park51 “There is no truth to Haaretz story. It is wholly incorrect. We will be publishing a press release regarding this shortly”
http://twitter.com/ggreenwald
ok, thanks for that
Cheryl (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 5:35PM EST (link)Obviously why no one else was reporting it.
“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America, than the whole force of the common enemy.” –Samuel Adams
“The administrative state has inserted its big paws into our houses, from the toilet bowl to the light socket. Now if it would just stretch those paws from the one to the other at the same time, we might begin to recapture the spirit of ’76.” –Scott Johnson, Powerlineblog.com
What Does Obama Do for an Encore? Oh Yes, Open Hunting Season on the Bald Eagle!
pchrun Tuesday, August 17th at 1:02AM EST (link)What on earth was President Obama thinking? Did his advisors actually tell him to go “Pro Ground Zero mosque” with 90 days until the midterms when Democrats are about to get sliced up like a Hibachi Steak at Benihana?
Did someone on his team point to Iran and said, “Don’t worry Mr. President, we can win with 32% of the vote, Ahmadinejad did it, so let’s go pro Ground Zero mosque today?”
Read this article which satirizes the whole Obama fiasco.
http://www.dailygoat.com/?p=2653
Not good enough IMO
JamesSmith130 Monday, August 16th at 5:58PM EST (link)If this jihadist funded group wants to build a mosque, they should do it in Saudi Arabia, not in the United States of America.
The next fight needs to be to force them to not build that mosque anywhere in the NYC metro area.
Why not?
msctex (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 5:38PM EST (link)Obama stuck his toe in the water, and it very nearly boiled off. Reid would claim to believe anything to be re-elected, so of course he is going to be anti-Mosque. It’s common sense, which granted is not something his Party is known for. The fact he’s probably lying must make it more palatable.
Would a re-elected Reid break with his party's president?
spainishirish (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 5:46PM EST (link)Somehow I doubt it, and it probably is likely most Nevadans do as well. Welcome to the Senate, Mrs. Angle.
Angle's GOP rivals
chihank Monday, August 16th at 5:52PM EST (link)Angle’s primary rivals, Sue Lowden & Danny Tark, say Angle needs to do more media appearances to dispel the incessant slamming of her by Reid and his 527 allies.
Come October 2010, the Tea Party Nation is hosting another tea party convention. This time it will be in Las Vegas. Sharron Angle will be the key note speaker.
Primary's over. Drop it. [nt]
acat (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 6:04PM EST (link)——

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost”. –Tolkein
Yeah we don't need sour grapes whining from those two (nt)
Neil Stevens (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 6:29PM EST (link)RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules
Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.
“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
It's not sour grapes.
Kayla Monday, August 16th at 9:01PM EST (link)It’s very good advice. She can not let Harry Reid define her. If she sits back and take his attacks & lies, it’s over.
5. Agreed. [nt]
Martin Knight (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 5:30AM EST (link)Big caveat there, Martin.
acat (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 8:19AM EST (link)While the sentiment is the truth, it’s the speakers who are problematic….
At this point, Tarkanian and Lowden are *supposed to be* being good GOP foot soldiers slogging ashore to help make sure Angle is able to take Nevada away from Reid.
This sure looks like Tark and Lowden sitting on the beach, calling out instructions instead of helping pull down Harry.
The sentiment isn’t the problem – Angles’ campaign is not exactly setting the world on fire – but the voices calling for fixes too it.
Mew
——

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost”. –Tolkein
Don't know about anyone else, but I'm REALLY
throwback59 Monday, August 16th at 5:56PM EST (link)enjoying watching the democrats self-destruct these last few months.
Best show anywhere. And the sequel coming out Nov. 2nd will be even better.
They've hit new lows on the Generic Ballots
scarlos (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 7:04PM EST (link)Gallup has us up 7 points, 50-43 among Registered Voters (The first time EVER we’ve hit the big 50 mark in their polling, and only the 3rd time the Democrats have been that low, the other two times being the last two weeks).
Rasmussen also has us up 12 in their Generic ballot, representing the best we’ve ever done (48%) and the biggest gap in our favor.
For Comparison, in late 1994 we only had a net EVEN on the ballot.
Socialism is Oligarchy in disguise
Too bad.
indyjohn Monday, August 16th at 5:59PM EST (link)Up until now, Harry Reid had demonstrated a kinky obsession – a need for public self-flagellation before the alter of the Goddess of Political Correctness. But with his political career in the balance, a small ray of rationality seems to be shining into the dark recesses of Harry’s brain. I was hoping that he would continue to camp out in Looneyville, thus making Angle’s job easier.
Oh well, I can hope that this moment of clarity is evanescent, and that the true Harry Reid – the nasty, smarmy, power-hungry, fascist, pseudo-Mormon – will once again bare his teeth.
But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.
Edmund Burke
Don't Sweat It, This Momentary Bit of Sanity
Michael Dugas (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 10:28PM EST (link)is temporary and will only last till the election is over.
Intro to Federalist Papers; section 5;
paragraph 4.
“…dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the zeal for a firm and efficient government.”
Remember: A Citizen on the dole is a Liberal Vote at the Polls.
END ENTITLEMENTS!
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum !
Reid is like a clock. Even he can be right twice a day.
renny (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 7:11PM EST (link)This mosque thing is a gift that keeps on giving, but I just read that the iman now thinks he might want to talk to Gov. Paterson about some NY State property that could be available.
Does that impinge on the separation of church and state?
The only reason has been right on this issue Renny
Scope (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 7:41PM EST (link)is that he is in the battle of his life to retain his Senatorship. He isn’t right ever, let alone twice a day. He is trying to distance himself from the O, and, he’s doing very strange ways of doing that. It’s nothing more than desperation.
John Locke's Essay on Toleration is pertinent to the issue
student Monday, August 16th at 7:13PM EST (link)John Locke in his “Essay on Toleration” is pertinent to the current issue and puts a qualifier on the statement in the Bill of Rights his ideas birthed. At the time after numerous fratricidal wars trying to get state power and use it to establish hegemony of one Protestant group over all, Protestants had basically come to the conclusion that they were better off competing peacefully for market share and being tolerant of one another. On the other hand, at that time, the Catholic church was still using state power in France and Spain to crush Protestants. Locke recommended tolerance towards Protestants (b/c they did not seek state enforced hegemony) but not towards Catholics (since they still did). Only after the 30 years war did the Vatican abandon war and adopt religious tolerance. Islam has only expanded by military conquest and degrades, humiliates and crushes non-Muslims (Dhimmi) considering them inferior. Islam has not adopted a policy of tolerance and should not be treated with tolerance until they do.
Tolerate American Muslims
DavidP Monday, August 16th at 8:25PM EST (link)I partially disagree, in as much American Muslims are expressing their religious preference they should be allowed to build their mosque pretty much anywhere a Christian or any other faith would be allowed to build.
We are not fighting American Muslims and without thier help we would not be able to prevent another attack. We are fighting foreign Muslims who are aginast the principals we stand for.
And I would like to remind you that one of the principals they do not like is freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. Lets not do thier work fo rthem by turning back the clock on these two principals.
The money isn't coming from American Muslims, its coming from foreign despots
JSobieski (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 9:03PM EST (link)and why isn’t that Greek Orthodox Church allowed to rebuild? The city won’t even MEET with those folks.
Religious freedom in the west is based on a basic concept of reciprocity.
My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.
STOP THE MADNESS!
A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!
Speaking of money, there has been pro-"mosque" chatter
Uma Richie (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 9:35PM EST (link)comparing the Cordoba building to something like the YMCA or the JCC. Funny thing is that every time I’ve seen a new YMCA being built, or a YMCA expansion being undertaken, the donors are local businesses and individuals. The big contributors are quick to have their names very publicly associated with the project After the capital campaign is finished, there are plaques and banners prominently displayed throughout the building thanking those who provided funding.
If the Cordoba building is just like the Y, then why isn’t there a public domain happy photo of Rauf and Bloomberg shaking hands with the nice people who are paying for the project?
Yes, those despots
Jack_Savage (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 9:48PM EST (link)Despots which Obama and the left have a genetic compulsion to bow in front of.
Islam is Pure Evil, not a religion.
jcincy Monday, August 16th at 9:11PM EST (link)I disagree.
Islam is not a true religion. It does not lead it’s followers to Life, Liberty, or Happiness. Indeed, just the opposite is true. This is not a peaceful religion it is pure evil. The same evil that possessed Hitler and Stalin. Would we tolerate the Holocaust in America, if we simply called it ‘religion’? How dull has our reasoning become, that we tolerate this death cult.
Islam stands in direct conflict to the Declaration of Independence. It has no place on American soil. The people of New York have the right and the obligation to stop the building of this abomination. To tolerate this insult to American values desecrates the sacrifice of all those who fought for the Foundational Principles.
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” — John Jay
I can't agree more
JamesSmith130 Monday, August 16th at 9:27PM EST (link)you are right on the money!
Anybody else feel like joining these two?
Moe Lane (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 10:03PM EST (link)Let me know now, so that I can get to it after I put the kid to bed.
The Kim Kardashian of blogging.
Check out my blog at http://moelane.com/.
http://moelane.com/filthy-lucre-filthy-lucre/
http://twitter.com/moelane
My (combined) wish list.
Turn back the clock?
Jack_Savage (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 9:49PM EST (link)To what, 720 AD?
Certain segments of Islam
littlehouse18 (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 10:21PM EST (link)are conducting themselves as cults, subjugating many of their members, denying them civil and human rights. Our government has had no problem acting on cults which deny members basic rights.
Several times I have seen women in public dressed in what is very nearly a burka, with only their eyes visible behind their black or brown robes. They are never by themselves, but with male family members. It is chilling. So even now sharia is being practiced in our own backyard. Under sharia women can only go out of their home if escorted by a male relative. Doesn’t sound like liberty to me.
I don't "tolerate" the name "Cordoba House"
Doc Holliday (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 11:21PM EST (link)anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Western Civilization would know Cordoba is a city in Spain. Christian Spain was INVADED and OCCUPIED by Muslim marauders. They killed Christians and Jews and destroyed many of their houses of worship.
The Mulsim invaders built their Great Mosque of Cordoba on top of the ruined Christian Cathedral there. The Mosque was a great monument to Muslim conquest of part of Christian Europe.
Now, I am a simple man, but I can figure out how this relates to the goings on at Ground Zero today. To name a Mosque “Cordoba House”, built by the Cordoba Initiative, is a clear provocation, it is a thumb in the eye.
Would the Germans name their embassy in France the “Is Paris Burning? House”
Molon Labe!
Quick history on the name
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 1:48AM EST (link)I’m sure you know the history, but for the benefit of those who don’t: the Caliphate of Cordoba, and later, the Islamic Taifa Republic of Cordoba, were both among the most advanced and cosmopolitan large-scale polities in Europe and the Middle East in the early Medieval period. (The Byzantines at various periods and Norman Sicily under King Roger were probably the most tolerant polities, but that’s neither here nor there.) The Taifa of Cordoba was, in fact, the first form of republicanism evident in the Muslim world. The Caliphate was much better known for its plurality at the time than for outrageous acts of blasphemy or unfairness against Christians, and both Christians and Jews could attain heights in Cordoba that were unattainable elsewhere. I certainly wouldn’t want to live there today (a massacre in 1066 claiming the lives of ~4000 Jewish Granadans marking Cordoba as a “mild” persecutor for the time says it all), and I’m not sure how valid an example of peaceful interaction it would be for present times (that troublesome sharia system sure does get in the way of full-throated endorsement), but its history, and the romanticized version of that history, makes it suitable as a name for a group promoting non-violent dialog. I don’t know if that is the interpretation the mosque’s builders are going for, but if I were Muslim, I could think of worse names to call it.
IMO, the fact that the backers of the project didn’t back down is more indicting than the name given to the project (which has been changed to Park51). As the tired cliche goes, actions speak louder than words.
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
I love history Aesthete, and I love the details
Doc Holliday (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 8:08AM EST (link)but in this case, the shorter version is better.
1 Muslims invaded Spain
2 Muslims were only as “tolerant” as an invader and occupier could be
3 Muslims were thrown out of Spain by Christian forces
4 Why would these people still be talking about a city in Western Europe if the idea is not about the good ol’ days of conquest?
Also, if this is supposed to be a center for “reaching out” and “understanding” why not build a church and synagogue into the facility as well? I am not joking about this.
Molon Labe!
Personally, I think the most indicting
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 1:42PM EST (link)and unappealing aspect of the project is that, after repeated calls and various offers on the part of third-party groups, the group sponsoring the mosque declined to move it. Even if opposition to the mosque were irrational, how would digging one’s heels in on building in a certain spot foster interfaith dialog and cooperation?
Concerning the name, I don’t think it’s all that different from Christian orgs calling themselves “Bethel Ministries”: just because Bethel is located in the holy land does not make it an allusion to the Crusades, for instance. A chapel named after St Dominic, likewise, probably isn’t referencing the Inquisition, which many of the Dominican order’s followers executed with great fervor. I would probably choose a reference to Cordoba for my initiative, were I Muslim, despite its obvious connection to the Reconquista. The more indicting fact is the location and the fact that after repeated calls, those involved in the project haven’t yielded to the wishes of the community it is meant to serve.
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
Incredible naivete
rivahmitch Tuesday, August 17th at 9:47AM EST (link)I won’t reiterate the factual statements of others here about the fact that Muslims historically build on what they consider “conquered territory” (does a building damaged by the 9/11 attack seem to fit?), nor will I comment on the inanity of the comment that “We are fighting foreign Muslims who are aginast the principals we stand for.” when evidence would indicate that everywhere Muslims attain “critical mass” ( somewhere around 5%) religious, speech and other restrictions become curtailed “to avoid offending” this very vocally (and violently) offended group. I will comment that your suggestion that we surrender our right to freedom of expression (opposing their victory monument) so as to “not turn our back” on the principle of freedom of expression for our overt enemies seems to offer a policy of preemptive surrender. My comment… HELL NO! Shall we also allow them to implement a separate (Shariah) legal system to avoid offending their sensibilities? How do you feel about “honor killings” on American soil?
Apparently, you’re so “Red” that you reject JFKs warning about negotiating with those who say “What’s mine is mine but what’s yours is negotiable”. This old jarhead says, ” Give your enemies nothing”.
If you want to introduce tolerance
JamesSmith130 Monday, August 16th at 9:26PM EST (link)to Islam, there is an easy way. Kick the crap out of them and their countries. If Islamic areas are given a similar beating to what Germany and Japan got in WWII, perhaps we might actually see a moderate Islam.
Introducing tolerence
DavidP Tuesday, August 17th at 1:59PM EST (link)We are in Iraq and Afghanistan doing exactly that.
We are working on Pakistan and Iran wiht greater or lesser effectiveness.
ti is our “allies” the Saudi’s who we need to lay into. We have given them a pass and they are the ones doing the funding.
Babs on the mosque
SteveLA (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 8:02PM EST (link)Moe,
I also wonder how Babs will come down on the Mosque. In CA there is a sizable Jewish community, largely Democratic backers, and I can’t see the Jewish community being big backers of Obama’s latest statement(s).
I hope Carlie has trackers following Babs around to capture her comments on the matter.
______________________________________
Competency over ideological purity and litmus tests
It's been a long few days...
swami7774 (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 8:47PM EST (link)…for poor Greg Sargent.
Today, there is a name for the political doctrine that rejoices in scarcity of everything except government. The name is environmentalism.
Self-immolation
clintonformccain Monday, August 16th at 11:06PM EST (link)Obama basically doused himself with gasoline and lit a match. Think of the options every Democrat Congress-Critter now faces when asked about the mosque:
a) Support the Democrat party leader and incur the wrath of 70% of the voters.
b) Disagree with Obama and incur the wrath of the Democrat moonbat base, who are now beating their chests about this as a litmus test issue.
c) Duck the question and incur the ridicule from all sides.
Heckuva job there, Barry.
Burning down the house
izoneguy (Diary) Monday, August 16th at 11:59PM EST (link)The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Think of Bush, Clinton, and Reagan's potential responses
aesthete (Diary) Tuesday, August 17th at 1:52AM EST (link)Bush would probably say something promoting interfaith dialog, and encourage the mosque’s backers to relocate based on this sentiment.
Clinton would probably turn it into a “Sister Souljah” moment and triangulate around the issue, allowing him to take the focus off of his liberalism.
Reagan would probably ignore it and/or make a joke about it.
So what does Obama do? Make an inflammatory statement about something that doesn’t involve the Presidency, only to later backtrack from the statement.
The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilaration of a vice – G.K. Chesterton
Religion vs "freedom"
rgue Tuesday, August 17th at 6:17AM EST (link)Okay, so in this video, a mass wedding of young girls about 6-9 years old. Is this the kind of “religion” Obama is pushing? They believe in killing the “infidels”, people that oppose them. Mosques have been used to recruit and brainwash people to hate and kill that doesn’t believe their way. Watch 450 girls get married and tell me you want them to have religious “freedom”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BRzhB1BjKQ
Build mosques on your victory sites!
adrianvance Tuesday, August 17th at 8:48AM EST (link)Where the Muslims have a long-standing tradition, documented in the Koran, of building mosques on the sites of their victories in battle it is offensive for them to build on the site of 9/11.
Arab cultures are famous for “Tell them what they want to hear,” from selling rugs to building mosques. They intend to be devious and untrustworthy. Let those who want to be seen as trustworthy give up the religion the bible of which says to “kill the infidel,” “death to the non-believer” on every page. If you wrote a book for a political movement saying that of our leaders you would be in prison and that is where many of these goat-eaters belong.
Obama Rights?
mistmiles Tuesday, August 17th at 10:17AM EST (link)President Obama states nothing about a Christian church that is trying to rebuild on land that it owns in the 9/11 area. Instead the President talks in favor of a Muslim mosque being built on land it does not own?
President Obama goes against a Christian that is invited to speak at the Pentagon during the National Day of Prayer, from the Obama administration that would be too insensitive to Muslims.
President Obama where is your sensitivity to the 9/11 victims? Where are the people that yell about Seperation of Church and State?
The sensitivity of the President favors not the victims of 9/11 instead it favors. . . .
From Internet article.
On May 29 – just five days before President Obama made his first state visit to Saudi Arabia – Solicitor General Elena Kagan filed a brief arguing that it would be “unwarranted” for the Supreme Court to hear cases brought by the families against five of Saudi King Abdullah’s closest relatives for financing the attacks. The group, named the 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism, charges that “five Saudi princes knowingly and intentionally provided financial support to al Qaeda waging war on America.”
Read more at: http://www.investigativeproject.org/1059/9-11-families-obama-favors-saudi-terror
President Obama you were elected to represent all the people of the U.S.A.
that includes the 9/11 victims. Three thousand people killed and a mosque was used to plan the attack!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10911542
No mosque at the Ground Zero area.