The great Claudia Rosett broke news this week that the U.S. State Department is sponsoring an "outreach" trip to the Middle East by the divisive, Islamist imam behind the Ground Zero mosque project.
Let that sink in for a minute, and then get ready for an even bigger insult: the trip is taxpayer funded.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley has reponded to the ensuing national outrage by taking to the airwaves to defend the "moderate" Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf (see the latest revelations about Rauf's fondness for jihadist groups here) and the trip.
State has even gone so far as to post last week's ridiculous, intellectually craven speech from the man who will forever be known as "Arabia's Mayor," Michael Bloomberg, in support of the mosque project on its website.
The D.C.-based national security think tank JINSA has helped lead the charge to hold State accountable. But for now, Foggy Bottom continues to stand by its man.
Which raises a larger question: Since Rauf is fully supported by President Obama's State Department, can we assume that the White House also supports Rauf's Mideast trip? Maybe I'm wrong, but you would think that State and the White House would be in synch on this hot button, national issue, no?
And if the Obama administration supports Rauf enough to arrange a taxpayer funded overseas trip--clearly considering him a moderate--then why would it not support his mega-mosque project at Ground Zero as well? Surely any project involving this supposedly moderate, bridge-building imam is a good thing?
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, predictably dodged the question last week. But the White House needs to be pressed on this. We know where the State Department stands. But where exactly does the President stand on the Ground Zero mega-mosque and its public face Imam Rauf?
And yes, liberals, I'm aware that State's relationship with Rauf dates back to the Bush administration. The Bush administration's work with Rauf was horrific--and not surprising. For instance, Bush's Muslim outreach director, Karen Hughes, was infuriatingly, embarrassingly bad on these issues and Condi Rice was similarly cringeworthy.
That said, I do not think the Bush administration, under the current circumstances, would continue to publicly support and defend Rauf after all we've discovered about him, let alone send him around the world on a taxpayer-funded trip.
As for the debate over whether Rauf is moderate (it's been clear for some time that he's far from it), here is a simple solution. When he returns from rubbing elbows with wealthy Arab sheikhs on our dime, perhaps some enterprising reporter can ask him this simple question: does he recognize Israel's right to exist?
I have interviewed many so-called "moderate" imams over the years, and that question gets them every time. If you ask that question and get hemming and hawing rather than an immediate "yes" answer, don't even waste your time. No Israel, no moderate. Period.
I can take a wild guess at how Rauf would answer.