Our illustrious president is encased,once again, up to his glazed over eyeballs in controversy. He has said he thinks that, in the name of freedom of religion, that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf should be able to build a one hundred million dollar mosque near ground zero. Actually, I agree. But our president, although a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School still cannot articulate the real reason why he can not stop or start the building of a mosque on the scar of the twin towers.
Here's the reason, he is the president of the United States. Did you catch that? He is not the king of the United States, nor the Premier of the United States, nor the Sovereign of the United States, nor the grand puhbah, nor even yet the Imam of the United States of America. He is just the president. Our wise forefathers, fresh from their frustrating, irritating, war creating clash with King George, did you hear that? King George wrote into our founding documents several items that would deeply limit the powers of said president.
Amendment #1 Congress shall make no law respecting the establishing of a religion or prohibitting the free excercise thereof; Again did you here that word, "congress." Its not even in the powers of the president to do anything about it one way or another. What ever might be done is completely in the hands of an entirely different entity of government.
That means the president of the presumably most powerful nation in the world has NO POWER because he is only the president. That means that the person or persons who own that property may sell it to whomever they wish and if the president of the United States says, "No you may not." They can say, well, (any number of expletives you might choose)yes we can." That is because he is not sovereign over their decision as to what to do with their land.
He's not even able to say "no" to a foreign group, say of rich, powerful Muslim businessmen who wish to invest in a parcel of land near the place that terrorists, in the name of Allah their God, snuffed out hundreds of American lives. And although it looks appears much like a Lion urinating on its kill, he cannot say "no" because he is only the president.
I just wish he would articulate it the way it is meant to be articulated instead of acting like he could do whatever he wants, but he is giving gratiously in to some great ideal. In truth, he cannot because he has no power, no say, no right, because he is simply president of the United States.
I'm glad you wrote this. No one ever seems to call attention to the fact that the president really doesn't have that much power. I've always felt guilty that I'm not that worried about who the president is. Maybe it's taking it too far, but does it matter...except that maybe he's a role model who teaches our kids to smoke or not?
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