Obama felt 'obligation' to weigh in on mosque near Ground Zero

President Barack Obama speaks at a fundraiser event for Milwaukee Mayor and Governor candidate Tom Barrett at the US Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 16, 2010. Credit: Getty/JEWEL SAMAD
A White House spokesman says politics wasn’t a factor in President Barack Obama’s remarks about building a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City.
Deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton said it was “not politics” but Obama’s feeling that he had the obligation as president to “make sure people are treated equally” under the Constitution.
Obama has said that religious freedom allows the mosque to be built, but without commenting on the wisdom of building one two blocks from ground zero. Republicans have pounded him for his comments, making it a prime midterm election issue.
Burton said Obama “felt it was his obligation as president to address this.” Obama was on the way to Wisconsin for fundraising.
Meanwhile, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada on Monday became the highest profile Democrat to break with President Barack Obama, who on Friday backed the right for the developers to build a mosque near ground zero.
In a statement, Reid said the first amendment protects freedom of religion and he respects that, but the mosque should be built somewhere else.
Critics have said the location of the mosque is insensitive because the terrorists who struck were Islamic extremists.
Reid is in a tight campaign for re-election in Nevada. His opponent, Republican Sharron Angle, earlier in the day called for Reid to say whether he agreed with Obama.

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