Senator Reid says mosque shouldn't be built near ground zero
Breaking from President Obama, top Democrat says despite First Amendment, mosque should not be built near site of 9/11 attacks
WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Democrat says a mosque should not be built near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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.
The plan to build a mosque and Muslim cultural center not far from ground zero in Manhattan has irked the Right. Many Republicans, including former Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin, are working hard, and with significant success, to place the issue on the public agenda ahead of the mid-term elections on November 2.
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.
