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Barack Obama backtracks over Ground Zero mosque support

President Barack Obama has backtracked over his enthusiastic support for the building of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York, saying he was "not commenting on the wisdom of making the decision".

President Barack Obama
The decision to build an 15-storey Islamic centre in Manhattan, including a mosque, two blocks from the Ground Zero site of the September 11th terrorist attacks has incensed many Americans, with polls indicating that more than two-thirds oppose it.

Speaking at an iftar dinner held at the White House on Friday to mark the breaking of the Ramadan fast, Mr Obama abandoned his administration's previous stance that there would be no comment on the "local" issue.

These comments heartened many on the Left, though they drew a sharp rebuke from centrist Democrats fighting uphill battles to retain seats in the November mid-term elections....

Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)