President Obama's staunchest ally in the Senate broke with the president today over the controversial Islamic center planned for a site near Ground Zero, and said he is opposed to its construction. The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying, "The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that, but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else."
Reid's comments came just days after Obama told a White House gathering that Muslims had a right to build the mosque, and Republicans vowed to make the president's stand an issue in the November elections.
Reid, who is facing a difficult election in his home state of Nevada, was the first candidate to feel the heat. He was prompted to take a position on the contentious issue after his Republican opponent challenged him to stand with the president or oppose the unpopular community center planned to be built two blocks from where Islamic militants destroyed the Twin Towers.
"As the Majority Leader, Harry Reid is usually President Obama's mouthpiece in the U.S. Senate, and yet he remains silent on this issue," read a statement issued today by Reid's Republican challenger Sharron Angle. "Reid has a responsibility to stand up and say no to the mosque at Ground Zero or once again side with President Obama, this time against the families of 9/11 victims. America is waiting."
The White House said today that Obama's comments on the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" were not driven by politics.
