The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
1. Good Night. 2. Sleep Tight.
“Tips on Not Letting the Bedbugs Bite”–headline, WTOP-FM website (Washington), Aug. 20
He’s a Holocaust-Denying Iranian Nuke Nut, but His Money’s Still Green
The Ground Zero mosque is far from a fait accompli, reports Politico.com, which goes so far as to describe it as a “long shot”:
The Cordoba Initiative hasn’t yet begun fundraising for its $100 million goal. The group’s latest fundraising report with the state attorney general’s office, from 2008, shows exactly $18,255–not enough even for a down payment on the half of the site the group has yet to purchase.
The group also lacks even the most basic real estate essentials: no blueprint, architect, lobbyist or engineer–and now operates amid crushing negative publicity. The developers didn’t line up advance support for the project from other religious leaders in the city, who could have risen to their defense with the press.
This report in the New York Post won’t help:
The developers of the Ground Zero mosque are refusing to flat out reject cash for the project from Holocaust-denying Iranian nuke nut Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I can’t comment on that” was the reply of mosque spokesman Oz Sultan yesterday when asked specifically if the fund-raising would extend to Iran and Saudi Arabia. “We’ll look at all available options within the United States to start.”
If the mosque plan is really this half-baked–it almost sounds like a mere prank–Barack Obama’s decision to throw the weight of the presidency behind it* is an appalling act of political malpractice.
* Or behind its First Amendment rights, or however you want to construe his exquisitely nuanced position.
For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.
