Ted Olson, Former Bush Solicitor General And Husband Of 9/11 Victim, Backs Obama On 'Ground Zero Mosque'

Ted Olson, former George W. Bush solicitor general, attorney behind the case against California's gay marriage ban, and husband of a woman who died aboard the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11, said Wednesday that President Obama was right about his analysis of the "Ground Zero Mosque" as a constitutional right protected by the First Amendment.

Olson's wife, conservative commentator and lawyer Barbara Olson, perished on September 11 aboard American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that was hijacked and flown in the Pentagon.

Asked on MSNBC about his opinion on the plans to construct a 13-story Islamic community center two blocks away from Ground Zero, Olson gave a response that served as a rather high profile departure from what has become the conservative norm on the issue.

"Well it may not make me hap-- popular with some people, but I think, probably, the president was right about this," Olson told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "I do believe that people of all religions have a right to build edifices, or structures, or places of religious worship or study where the community allows them to do it under zoning laws and that sort of thing, and that we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith. And I don't think it should be a political issue. It shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic issue, either. I believe Gov. Christie from New Jersey said it well, that this should not be in that political, partisan marketplace."

Watch Olson on MSNBC:

Liz Cheney's group, Keep America Safe, took a different tone Wednesday, however, with the release of a new ad that uses the emotional testimony of six family members of 9/11 victims to push the message that people must "remember" 9/11 in opposing the "Ground Zero Mosque."

Watch Keep America Safe's new ad:

Comments

[Terry Simpson]

10:11 AM on 08/23/2010

"Well it may not make me hap-- popular with some people, but I think, probably, the president was right about this," Olson told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "I do believe that people of all religions have a right to build edifices, or structures, or places of religious worship or study where the community allows them to do it under zoning laws and that sort of thing, and that we don't want to turn an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith. And I don't think it should be a political issue. It shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic issue, either. I believe Gov. Christie from New Jersey said it well, that this should not be in that political, partisan marketplace." - Ted Olson- former Bush official, whose wife died in 9-11. He said it best

[callings]

12:28 PM on 08/21/2010

Olson has shown remarkable sanity of late. I didn't think him capable of it. I was wrong. He actually has a sense of honor (see his work with David Bois on gay marriage rights. I was stunned, and pleasantly so).

[Holes]

10:55 AM on 08/21/2010

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

Thomas Paine

[Holes]

10:53 AM on 08/21/2010

My observation of Republicans is that Republicans jump on the Constitutional band wagon when they want to use the Constitution to support a particular position, however the Constitution be damned when their position runs counter to the Constitution.

Suddenly the Constitution is not important.

[mmgold]

01:40 AM on 08/21/2010

I'm just wondering here but if Muslims can't build their COMMUNITY CENTER with a room for prayer are Muslims allowed to walk anywhere near ground zero? Or should they be made to go three or four blocks away?

[Golfer59]

11:36 PM on 08/20/2010

Teddy, Teddy, Teddy, it's only a matter of time before they, the Right-Wing Nut jobs come for you.

[cafemocha]

05:25 PM on 08/20/2010

Ted Olson is trying to position himself to be nominated as a supreme court(isan).
He's never apologized or backed down from his effort in 2000 to demand SCOTUS inflict Bush upon America. In a republican controlled congress, he would be a palatable nominee for such a congress to consider.

[eigervue]

09:06 PM on 08/20/2010

I'd take Olson over anyone else they have to offer. I may not agree with all his positions but at least he shows ideological integrity in defending not only this but the right for people to marry who they want.

[Mario Trujillo]

05:18 PM on 08/20/2010

How about we ban the Catholic Church from building or having churches near schools? After all, they do have a history of molesting children and it's not done by "fanatics" but rather by the actual clerics themselves.

[Charles Fee]

07:38 PM on 08/20/2010

Correction: A minority of the clerics. Don't do to Catholic priests what the far-right does to Muslims. If it's wrong for the goose, it's wrong for the gander.

[Lloyd Harris]

07:43 AM on 08/21/2010

right on!!!

[Mario Trujillo]

04:59 PM on 08/20/2010

To all you people freaking out about this I suggest we bar ALL religious establishments from the Area (although in reality barring them from the entire land would be more ideal). That way nobody can cry foul and everyone-s so-called "religious freedom" can be squashed equally.

[jerkontheinternet]

04:03 PM on 08/20/2010

The same people opposing this were just before quoting the constitution like it was scripture. Now it's "in bad taste"? This is really just about distrust and hatred of Islam in general. These same people would rather not have a single mosque in the US. Whether to build this mosque shouldn't be the issue, because that's their right. 25,000 Americans died for our constitution. I think it's in bad taste to deny someone the rights granted them by that hallowed document.

[littlefaith111]

09:38 AM on 08/21/2010

This is a hatred fueled by our government. We have army bases over there to spread our "freedom" code word for "capitalism". As far as Mr. Olson...where is his wife ...the Pentagon, by many accounts, was never hit by a plane, no remnants of a plane were found,remnants of a rocket were found during clean-up. As for Liz Cheney whose daddy profits from war and hate keep fueling the ignorant fire...maybe war with Iran is still on the table since Iraq did not go your way.

[rob2trade]

03:08 PM on 08/20/2010

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf calls america an "accessory to the crime" of 9/11

"I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened," Rauf elaborated, "but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened." Rauf further stated that “because we [Americans] have been accessory to a lot of innocent lives dying in the world,” it could be said that “[i]n fact, in the most direct sense, Osama bin Laden is made in the USA.”

Watch him say that here on this the 60 minutes clip - its not just what he says, its how how says it - he is clearly blaming the US for 9/11:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/08/19/ground-zero-mosque-imams-controversial-60-minutes-interview

[Kamal63]

03:37 PM on 08/20/2010

So did Glenn Beck. That's not a radical opinion. Many people in the State Department have similar conclusions.

[ChicagoJohn]

02:43 PM on 08/21/2010

Kamal,
You're going to have to point me to the clip of Glenn Beck blaming the US for 9/11.

[nigelwolsey]

05:06 PM on 08/20/2010

so what. more than half of america knows that our adventures abroad over the decades have angered many people and countries. We armed the mujahadeen, overthrew Iran and installed the shah. We have overthrown more democracys than any one would care to know.

And saying our screws played a part is not "clearly blaming us."

[zelduh]

07:23 PM on 08/20/2010

Sadly, I must agree.

[shadowrider]

12:21 PM on 08/20/2010

When did they amend the Constitution as to Religious Freedom to read except where I don't want you to?

[FACTISFACT]

10:04 AM on 08/20/2010

The widower of 9/11 victim said what is humane that his heart and mind dictated him to say. Religious Scholars opined that the prayer place is for also for praying for the dead so that God bestows Peace on the departed souls and grants them Heaven. Well, Republican obstructs people to pray to GOD for those who died on 9/11.

Religious experts claimed that if the Republicans are following any Religion then their act of obstruction is a sin.

Well G W Bush was a liar what does it matter whether pray to GOD for the departed souls or have sex it is all the same for GOP.. The difference is to get to power let the country be divide who cares but get to power.

[nigele8992]

09:26 AM on 08/20/2010

Why won't God heal amputees?

The same reason God takes innocents while Dick Cheney breathes on.

[the964kid]

02:33 AM on 08/20/2010

Is Ted Olson sure he's a republican? He's sure doing his best to get us to forget about his role in Bush 'winning' in 2000. Of course nothing Olson could ever do will make up for that debacle, but I appreciate the effort.

[independentjukebox]

08:49 AM on 08/20/2010

they played hardball but it was the supreme court that nailed the coffin not Olson.

[zelduh]

07:25 PM on 08/20/2010

This could be his way of repenting for what he had wroth...