Obama’s Stance on Ground Zero Mosque Makes Him Public Enemy Number One

How large a buffer zone is required for the victims to rest in peace? By asking this question, some have brought a spark of intelligence to the debate raging in the United States. In truth, distance has nothing at all do with it. The polemic around the construction of a mosque and cultural center near ground zero is not about geography. Most Americans today don’t want such a building in Manhattan, in New York, or for that matter, anywhere else in the country.

This is not the first time atavistic tendencies have gripped the United States. On the subject of accepting Islam — which is willfully confused here with terrorism, either from laziness, ignorance or for political posturing — one can mix in the issue of illegal Mexican aliens that reverberates across the country from Arizona. Rallying around the flag of the “tea party,” a part of America yearns for purity, a return to old times, and a rebirth of a largely mythical past.

This America has always existed, but it was laid low when Barack Hussein Obama burst on the scene two years ago. They have modeled themselves after the wave that carried the first black president into power, and they have stirred up an enthusiasm tenfold stronger than before. Today, this movement pretends to be the America of tomorrow. They are without shame or taboos and hardly have consideration for their adversaries.

In this context, Barack Obama is walking on hot coals just three months before Election Day. His multicultural origins, unusual profile and calls for a more open America have made him public enemy number one. His support of a mosque near ground zero is only aggravating the situation.

The construction of an Islamic center near that site does not go down well. The reluctance of victims’ families should be taken under full consideration. But President Obama, if he wants to stay faithful to both his principles and the truth, has no choice but to defend the idea of an open and tolerant site, like none other, allowing New York and the United States to show they are ready to turn over a new leaf. Much more important than tea party nostalgia is the question of what will define the identity of America today.