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August 18, 2010
Obama's Post-American Moment
Last Friday, at the White House Ramadan Dinner President Obama endorsed the plan.
"Ground zero is, indeed, hallowed ground," Obama said at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. "But let me be clear: As a citizen and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. 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."
Then on Saturday he flipped again
But on Saturday, Obama seemed to contradict himself, telling reporters at one point, "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."Unfortunately for the President, the New York Times has the scoop in a story last Friday:
Aides to Mr. Obama say privately that he has always felt strongly about the proposed community center and mosque, but the White House did not want to weigh in until local authorities made a decision on the proposal, planned for two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.At best this is yet another example of how Obama is now out of touch with the American people. At worst is shows that he really is a post-American president. Sadly, I'm inclined toward the latter view.
Americans as a whole always give a new president every chance to prove himself. Indeed as often as not a majority of the opposition party goes along with most of his new legislation. What makes Obama unique is that he completely alienated the opposition party and pushed through a series of massive bills that have already made him the most divisive president in modern American history (I examined his record in congress as against other presidents and major pieces of legislation, so I don't say this lightly).
"Not One of Us"
The danger to Obama is not one of being on the wrong side of an issue. This is not about politics or political philosophy.
As the New York Times piece above says, Obama "has always felt strongly about the proposed community center and mosque"
"Strongly?"
People, and I don't mean conservatives, but middle-of-the-road Joe and Sally Suburban, are going to start looking at Obama and saying "he's not one of us>"
And no, I don't mean "not white" or "not Christian." Obama is something else. He's... just not really American like the rest of us. And I mean "rest of us" regardless of whether you are on the right or left.
But there is a certain weirdness, otherworldlyness if you will, about Obama, that we haven't seen with other recent Democrat presidents. Jimmy Carter had been a U.S. Navy officer in Rickover's nuclear submarine fleet. Bill Clinton was more pragmatic than hard left. It's hard to imagine either of them proclaiming himself a "citizen of the world," as Obama did in his July 2008 speech in Berlin. And if they, or any Republican, made such a remark, we'd know that they meant it in a totally different way than Obama means it.
There is an ultimate political question of "who are you?" Throughout history this has been answered in different ways. It was usually answered in terms of religion or social class. Until the American Civil War many in this country owed their primary political allegiance to their region or state. The modern Western nation-state grew out of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, and over time turned into the concept of nationalism that we've seen over the past few hundred years. Most Americans today answer that ultimate political question with an "I'm an American."
But Obama thinks himself beyond nationalism. He's past thinking of himself as an American first. He's post-American.
Bactk to Cordoba House
I've blogged on this before, but a bit more can't hurt.
Let's be clear about what this "Cordoba House" mosque is and is not about.
This has nothing to do with rights, the First Amendment, tolerance, or any of that. There are hundreds of mosques and Islamic community centers in the United States, and there is no serious opposition to them. We have a bunch of Sikh temples in my area of Loudoun County VA, and no one cares about them, either. We are the most tolerant nation on earth.
Rather, this is a direct in-your-face-screw-you to the "Great Satan." It is a strong statement that they are stronger than us, that their religion is stronger. That we are a bunch of idiot weaklings who can be pushed around. That Islam can build on (virtually on, damn close enough) to the rubble of the "Great Satan" to show its superiority.
It is therefore no mistake that it is called "Cordoba House" after the great mosque in Cordoba Spain build on the top of a church after the Muslims conquered that country.
Behind this no doubt is the Muslim Brotherhood and their mentality. They are conducting a "civilizational jihad" (their term from the 1991 document "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America") against us.
Make no mistake - this is not about a mosque. This is about the "grand jihad," which is the attempt to reestablish the caliphate and institute the sharia. It proceeds one small step at a time.
But many, mostly but not exclusively on the left, have taken what Andy McCarthy calls an attitude of "Willful Blindness" to what is going on. So sad that it is those who proclaim themselves the guardians of civil liberties to be the ones defending Islamism, an ideology that would destroy all that they, we, hold dear. I can explain it in a million ways, but either see the danger or you don't.
Posted by Tom at August 18, 2010 9:30 PM
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This has nothing to do with rights, the First Amendment, tolerance, or any of that...this is a direct in-your-face-screw-you to the "Great Satan."...Behind this no doubt is the Muslim Brotherhood and their mentality...Make no mistake - this is not about a mosque. This is about the "grand jihad," which is the attempt to reestablish the caliphate and institute the sharia.Hmm. How do you know with such certainty what their motives are? What specific actions or statements by persons involved in this project have lead you to your position?
Posted by: Jason Creighton at August 18, 2010 10:50 PM
Tom, you said, "It is therefore no mistake that it is called "Cordoba House" after the great mosque in Cordoba Spain build on the top of a church after the Muslims conquered that country".
But I heard they backtracked and they have decided not to call it Cordova House. They changed the name to "Park 51". Only the top two floors will be for Muslim prayer. The rest will host a cooking school, and other things. Also, if anything is built there, even at 13 floors, it will not be visible from Ground Zero three blocks away, nor will Ground Zero be visible from the new building. Bill O'Reilly says that because of the controversy, no mosque will be planned there.
What I wish had been built on Ground Zero is to rebuild the Twin Towers exactly as they had been. That would show the terrorists the true American spirit, that no one in the world can take us down, nor can they take any of our symbols and government buildings down and keep them down. Instead we have just a hole in the ground. The greatest monument to those who died would be new Twin Towers.
Emilie
Port Orchard, WAPosted by: Emilie at August 19, 2010 2:21 PM
Emilie,
TWC should not be rebuilt as they were inasmuch as those buildings were hardly the pinnacles of American architecture. I don't know if you have been following the rebuilding process but ultimately, whatever is built will be to maximize profits for Silverstein Properties, the leaseholder.
Tom,
This morning I heard expressed what I have been considering. Yes, I think the proposed center is in poor taste, but where do you draw the line? Two blocks is too close. Four blocks? Six blocks? Ten?
TLGK
Posted by: The Loop Garoo Kid at August 19, 2010 3:36 PM
Loop:I found this online:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/muslim-leaders-to-abandon-plans-for-ground-zero-community-center-1.308426
Well, developers always build with an eye to maximizing profits, even if the architecture is not creative and ugly, but the Towers were very imposing on the skyline. I just wish Silverstein or whoever would just build something there with a museum for the victims on the ground floor.
That hole in the ground is like an open wound, becoming like a Holy Grail, or church. People are starting to say that they get "vibrations" when touching the twisted steel beams from WTC on the way over here to be displayed in my local mall. Spirituality should be in our hearts and minds and not in some relic.
Emilie
Port Orchard, WAPosted by: Emilie at August 21, 2010 5:55 PM
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