House Democrat now politicizing mosque issue

This is genuinely sad. But we now have a House Democrat who has come out against the planned Islamic center -- and is using the issue politically against his Republican opponent, who had previous supported it.

The Democrat in question is Rep. Michael Arcuri of New York. Previously, his Republican challenger, Richard Hanna, had shown the courage to buck his own party and support the center, on the grounds that opposing it was at odds with American values.

"It's extremely easy to understand why people are upset by this, but this country was founded by people who were running away from religious persecution," Hanna, the Republican, said last week.

You'd think this is a stance all Democrats would embrace. Not Democrat Michael Arcuri.

Yesterday, Arcuri came out against the project in a statement:

"The pain felt by many Americans from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is still very real, and I can understand how the thought of building a mosque near Ground Zero could reopen those wounds. For the sake of the victims and their families, I think another location should be chosen."

It gets even better. Now Arcuri's Republican challenger has reversed himself, and has come out against the center, too. Amazingly, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, Democrat Arcuri's campaign is politicizing the issue by attacking him for flip flopping. As if Arcuri's own stance is couragous or admirable.

Here's the bottom line: When Arcuri's GOP opponent did the right thing and came out for the center, this signaled that the mosque controversy didn't have to be a campaign issue. Yet a Democrat chose to make it one. How many more Dems are going to play these pathetic Rovian games?

UPDATE, 11:11 a.m.: Three more New York Democrats have now come out against the project.

