Reid Breaks With Obama On Ground Zero Mosque--Adds To Democratic Disarray

It was said that as a result of Obama's comments on the Ground Zero Mosque--however they may be interpreted--it would be open season on all Democratic candidates to be asked on whether they agreed with Obama about the mosque.

Reid was asked--by opponent Sharron Angle--and in response, he said the mosque should move:

Now that President Obama has addressed and amplified the issue, the political debate over the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero is being felt far from Lower Manhattan, in political races across the country.

But candidates could find it difficult to straddle the issue, as Obama did, by expressing their support for religious freedom while refusing to take a stand on the construction of the Islamic center.

The latest to weigh in: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), who is battling to keep his seat in Nevada.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Jim Manley, Reid came out against the building of the Islamic center.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of religion," Manley wrote in an e-mail. "Senator Reid respects that, but thinks that the mosque should be built someplace else."

Greg Sargent thinks that Reid's statement leaves Democrats in a worse situation than Obama's did:

Obama did not explicitly endorse the decision to build the center. But Obama did say that if the group does proceed with that decision, we must respect that decision, in accordance with American values.

Reid is not willing to say that. Rather, he's saying, in effect, that even if he supports the group's right to build the center, he's not willing to respect the decision to do so. That's unacceptable, and leaves Obama isolated at a very sensitive moment.

What's more, it's unclear why coming out against the plan in the manner Reid did is even good politics for Democrats at this point. Reid basically threw the whole Dem caucus under the bus: With the Senate leader at odds with the president, the media will press every Senate Dem to declare which side they're on.

As November draws closer, Democrats are finding themselves in greater disarray. The idea was to control the talking points and put the Republicans on the defensive.

It's just not working out that way.

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