Surprised? Obama Backtracked On Jerusalem--Now He Backtracks On Ground Zero Mosque

Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.
Candidate Obama in AIPAC speech, June 4, 2008

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"Well, obviously, it's going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations...as a practical matter, it would be very difficult to execute [a division of the city] and I think that it is smart for us to -- to work through a system in which everybody has access to the extraordinary religious sites in Old Jerusalem but that Israel has a legitimate claim on that city.
Candidate Obama 'clarifying' what he said to AIPAC, June 5, 2008

Is it really so surprising that President Obama would do the same thing that candidate Obama did back in 2008?

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.
President Obama, Friday night's iftar dinner at the White House, August 13, 2010

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I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about.

And I think it's very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.
President Obama, at a business roundtable in Florida, August 14, 2010

There really is no reason to be surprised--in both cases Obama was speaking to a partisan group and just said what they wanted to hear. That is why that video the LA Times is suppressing of his speaking at a banquet in honor of Rashid Khalidi would be interesting.

Of course, there is one reason we can thank Obama for his comments about the mosque--it's not just a New York issue anymore, as the Mosque controversy swirls around Obama:

Obama’s comments placed him in the middle of the controversy over a Muslim group’s plans for a mosque near the site of the 2001 attack — and in turn, transformed an emotion-laden local dispute in New York into a nationwide debate overnight.

That of course is a good thing--unless you happen to be a Democrat up for reelection. As the Politico article notes, now every Republican can ask his Democratic opponent point blank if they agree with Obama's support for the mosque or not.

One point that is missed by Obama and those who are defending both his statement and the Ground Zero Mosque in general--the claim that this issue is all about the rights of Muslims is a subterfuge. John Hinderaker of Powerline writes:

since when is it politically toxic to stand up for the rights of Muslims? The Department of Justice is now stocked largely with lawyers who not only stood up for the rights of Muslims, but offered their services for free--not just to Muslims, but to Muslim terrorists. Heck, I stood up for the rights of Muslims--not just Muslims, but the ones who want to build Cordoba House--here. I'm not aware of a single instance where the "rights of Muslims" are under attack, unlike, for example, the rights of Christians. Sargent's claim is lame even by straw man standards.

Over time, we will now doubt see that straw is in no way in short supply.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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