This weekend, President Barack Obama stirred a hornet nest by defending the right of Muslims to build a community center and mosque two short blocks from Ground Zero. Obama’s support did not go down well New Yorkers, who slammed the president calling him insensitive.
There is no denying the fact that the issue will gain much significance during the November elections. Opinion polls showed that Obama has put himself and the Democrats on the wrong side of public opinion and the Republicans would definitely make use of Obama’s folly, if I may say so.
Up until now, Republicans have tried to corner the president on economic issues and they have ignored President's limited skill at resolving national-security issues. Obama tried hard to maintain the national security by retaining Bush's Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He repeatedly emphasized the necessity of winning in Afghanistan and made General David Petraeus in charge of the Afghan affairs to prove that he can excel on issue of national security as well.
In 2008, Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton to go on offensive on issues related to national security. Obama has so far managed to ward off GOP assaults in office using his brilliance and shrewd strategies. He has also dodged Muslim issue so far but the president let his guards down last weekend. It remains to be seen how much affect his statement will put on the chances of Democrats in the November elections but one thing is certain he has definitely exposed himself to barbed attacks from the opposition.
