By now everybody knows President Obama believes Muslims have a right to build a mosque near Ground Zero. Here is the AOL teaser: “While some praise his support for a mosque near ground zero, reaction from GOP and 9/11 families is fierce.” The headline is, ‘Obama Slammed, Praised for Backing Ground Zero Mosque.’ Here is the link:
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/obama-slammed-praised-for-backing-ground-zero-mosque/19593700?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl1%7Clink3%7Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fobama-slammed-praised-for-backing-ground-zero-mosque%2F19593700

For the next several months commentators and politicians will re-state the following two positions:

1. We should allow the building of a mosque because doing so illustrates our commitment to the principle of religious freedom.
2. We should not allow the building of a mosque because this is not a religious freedom issue as much as it is a direct affront to the families of those who died on 9/11.

This issue challenges both our principles and our sensibilities. What is the best way to resolve it?

That was the question under discussion when Countdown’s Keith Olbermann interviewed Howard Dean on August 19, 2010. Dean believes we can find a compromise, but Olbermann thinks a compromise would undermine the principle of religious freedom. He also believes those who take the second position won’t compromise. The video is at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/20/howard-dean-on-countdown-_n_688577.html

I agree with Dean’s position. Several times during the interview he said “people of good will” should be able to sit down and find a compromise. Each time Olbermann ignored the “people of good will” part and argued that the other side would not compromise.
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