Cripes now Cristi loses his cojones.

“Given my last position, that I was the first U.S attorney post 9/11 in New Jersey, I understand acutely the pain and sorrow and upset of the family members who lost loved ones that day at the hands of radical Muslim extremists,” Christie said. “And their sensitivities and concerns have to be taken into account. Just because it’s nearly nine years later, those sensitivities cannot and should not be ignored.

“On the other hand, we cannot paint all of Islam with that brush. …We have to bring people together. And what offends me the most about all this, is that it’s being used as a political football by both parties. And what disturbs me about the president’s remarks is that he is now using it as a political football as well. I think the president of the United States should rise above that. And should not be using this as a political football, and I don’t believe that it would be responsible of me to get involved and comment on this any further because it just put me in the same political arena as all of them.”

No one is painting Islam with a broad brush. This is about terrorism and about the true motivations behind building this mosque where they want to build it. It’s about Feisal Abdul Rauf and his connections to terrorism. It’s about Hamas high-fiving the effort. It’s about getting your head out of your ass Cristie, and for that matter anyone with an intelligence about that of a flea.

Listen to Daniel Pipes:

“Reflections on an Islamic Center in Lower Manhattan

Some observations:

● Cordoba House (or Park51) was announced in early April; that it remains an item of debate over four months later, and not just locally but nationally, points to Islam in the United States becoming a populist issue.

● Politicians who support the Islamic center, notably New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg, are paying a political price for their stand.

● As in the case of French hijabs or Swiss minarets, this is a case of going after a very visible but merely symbolic problem. What would victory achieve, exactly? I’d rather focus, say, on Islamist penetration of security services.

● Feisal Abdul Rauf and Daisy Khan proved not ready for prime time; ongoing investigations increasingly reveal what unsavory Islamists they are.

● As Raymond Ibrahim points out, the huge debate over this Islamic center has done significant damage to the lawful Islamist cause.

And my position on this controversy? While Muslims have every legal right to build a mosque near Ground Zero, this initiative carries the unmistakable odor of Islamic triumphalism. More importantly, Abdul Rauf’s dubious background and associations give reason to worry that his center will spread Islamist ideology. Therefore, it should be barred from opening.”

That’s the point.

Stuck on Stupid