Who do they think they’re kidding?
Two weeks ago, Robert Gibbs told reporters, when asked about the Obama administration’s position on the Ground Zero Mosque, that “it was a decision that was appropriately debated at the local level.”
So why did the State Department publish the entire text of Mayor Bloomberg’s speech – his very unpopular endorsement of the Ground Zero mosque - on its affiliate website, www.america.gov ?
Andrew McCarthy noticed it first:
I noted a few days ago that the Obama administration claimed to be taking no position on the Ground Zero mosque, with Robert Gibbs explaining that the president would not want to meddle in local affairs.
Now it emerges that the Obama State Department is not only footing the bill for Imam Feisal Rauf’s fling to the Persian Gulf region; it has also posted Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s speech in vigorous support of Rauf’s Ground Zero project on its website (here).
Daniel Halper at The Weekly Standard has been looking into it:
When reached by THE WEEKLY STANDARD, the State Department official, Joanne Moore, first denied that America.gov was part of the State Department’s website. When I read her this line, “Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State,” which is at the end of the text of Bloomberg’s speech, she said she did not know, and that she would get back to me.
Moore then said, “no comment.”
So the question for the State Department remains: Why is Bloomberg’s speech on your website?
You can view the screenshot of Bloomberg’s speech at The Weekly Standard.
If posting the speech on a State Dept. website isn’t an endorsement, what is it?
Hat tip: Weasel Zippers
RELATED:
Weekly Standard: CNN Poll: 68% of American Voters Oppose Ground Zero Mosque
Atlas Shrugs: Fox and Friends: Pamala Geller vs Nicole Neroulias on Ground Zero Mosque and Bus Campaign
August, 12, 2010 at 3:20 am
The Muslims have made a major tactical blunder with the Ground Zero Victory Mosque, and we Islamically-aware counterjihadists need to use it and strike while the iron is hot. The Muslim grand strategy requires incremental creeping Sharia and supremacism, where Islam insidiously takes over and slowly destroys Western civilization by a thousand cuts. Every advance should be so small that the ‘najis kafir sons of pigs and monkeys’ (that’s us, folks!) either don’t notice it, or can’t be bothered to oppose such a minor irritation.
But this abomination has half awoken the sleeping giant of American Public Opinion. We need to keep prodding the giant to prevent him falling back to sleep, and hopefully get him to awake fully. To do this we need to spread our message beyond the counter-jihadist blogosphere, using local media and social networks etc.
We also need to link the Mosque issue to the general problems of Islamic supremacism in as many ways as possible, a full list of topics can be found here: http://crombouke.blogspot.com/2010/01/everything-you-need-to-know-about-islam.html
A particular example that most Americans will be unaware of is the Islamic motivation for the Beslan child-rape orgy and massacre, the sixth anniversary of which approaches. The MSM went to great lengths to cover up both the vileness of the sexual tortures, and the Muslim involvement and Islamic doctrinal basis of this attack on kafir children http://crombouke.blogspot.com/2010/01/beslan-child-rape-torture-enforced.html
Although Beslan did not produce the greatest number of casualties of the current jihad, it exceeds all others in its sadism and depravity, and graphically illustrates what we have allowed into the West. Please ensure through your blogs and forums that the anniversary of Beslan is not forgotten this year.
August, 12, 2010 at 6:18 am
I don’t believe we have any legal right to deny placement of this mosque any more than we could deny a Methodist church on that site.
However, we need to continue to protest and shine the very bright light on these people. The brighter the light, the more we see the city and national governments’ disgusting efforts to please these radicals. It is about time we quit putting up with the dhimmi attitude from our own folks.
August, 12, 2010 at 8:47 am
Redleg: so long as taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund the mosque or to enable its fundraising in any way, right?
August, 13, 2010 at 9:36 am
If the mega mosque is built (and with its funding being questioned, and the voices of so many decrying it, it could indeed still be thwarted), I support Greg Gutfeld’s proposal to build a Muslim-friendly gay bar right next to it. Diversity, tolerance, and communication… three things that Islamics claim they support, but have yet to prove.
August, 13, 2010 at 9:39 am
[...] Saints: Death By A Thousand ‘Tut-Tuts’ Sister Toldjah: The Ground Zero mosque debate Nice Deb: Bloomberg’s Ground Zero Speech On State Dept. Website As Obama Administration Pretends To Be Neut… and Not So Fast…Ground Zero Mosque Developers Only Own Half Of The Site and Rudy Giuliani On The [...]
August, 13, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Tim: So much for taxpayer dollars not being used . . .
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/feds_funding_zero_imam_mideast_trip_OTq9dmoHpxbaKvJbB4VLGM
August, 13, 2010 at 9:07 pm
[...] Obama may want to alert Gibsy, though, because he’s been telling people that as far as the administration is concerned, it’s a local matter. [...]
August, 14, 2010 at 5:32 pm
Regardless of your position, you have to agree this is a well written speech. Here’s my take on the techniques Bloomberg and his team employed to make this perhaps his most memorable speech of his tenure:
http://bravospeeches.com/2010/08/14/speech-techniques-in-bloombergs-august-3-2010-speech-on-the-ground-zero-mosque-vote/
August, 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm
[...] Should Ask Obama On The View, Thursday and Obama “Forcefully Endorses” Ground Zero Mosque and Bloomberg’s Ground Zero Speech On State Dept. Website As Obama Administration Pretends To Be Neut… and Not So Fast…Ground Zero Mosque Developers Only Own Half Of The Site and Rudy Giuliani On The [...]