IS GROUND ZERO MOSQUE IMAM BLINKING FIRST?

This could be a sign that the mosque protestors are winning the battle but they should absolutely not let up. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is probably telling the truth about one thing here. I don't think he expected the consistent pressure from mosque opponents. He likely did think there would be some initial resistance but that it would fade in this insane news cycle we're living in. He was wrong about that. Not only has the controversy grown but it has revealed some quite embarrassing things about the funding of this mosque; one of the men funding it contributed to the Holy Land Foundation in 1999.

Now, Rauf is expressing regret not for being insensitive but for the controversy the mosque has caused. Via the New York Post:

The imam behind the planned mosque near Ground Zero said Wednesday if he knew how controversial the Islamic center project would be, he "never would have done this."

Speaking in his first U.S. television interview, on CNN's "Larry King Live," Iman Feisal Abdul Rauf also said the issue had been politicized, adding, "some politicians have decided to use this for political purposes."
"It goes against the fundamental American principle of separation of church and state," he said.

"When we politicize religion it is dangerous."

How dare he. Islam itself is a political form of government with a religious component. The hypocrisy of that statement may trump that of Hillary Clinton, who supports burning the American flag but has a problem with burning Qur'ans.

If Rauf backs down, I guarantee the following will happen. He will play up the victim card by implying that those racist Islamophobes got their way and Rauf now has nowhere to go. Make no mistake. If Rauf decides not to move forward, it's because he's been found out and he's scared of where this all might lead. However, he will also pretend to take the high road by doing so, all the while demonizing as intolerant those who oppose construction of his mosque.

h/t to Free Republic