"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 unshakable. 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."The same people who criticize the President for policies that run roughshod over certain constitutional principles should praise him for his defense of this one. They won't, of course, roundly (and rightly) accusing him of cherry-picking the Bill of Rights to serve his purpose.
At this point, however, a mirror would be useful.
Insisting that Obama-Biden-Holder abide by the Founders' intent in crafting, say, the Second Amendment, while ignoring "the writ of the Founders" for the First Amendment raises hypocrisy to an art form.
That's what happens when principle takes a back seat to ideology.
In his remarks about the Manhattan mosque, Pres. Obama was absolutely correct. The pro-Constitution crowd -- this time, at least -- should stand up and say so, no matter how they feel about the President.
