King: Obama 'trying to have it both ways'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is "trying to have it both ways" on the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said Sunday.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," King was referring to Obama's clarification of support for Muslims' right to build a mosque. The president said Friday he had not been commenting on the "wisdom" of the project.

"I think the president … is trying to have it both ways, because I don't know of anyone who was saying that Muslims do not have the right to practice their religion, but with rights go responsibilities, and that's the part of it the president did not comment on," King said.

"The president is a gifted speaker and tremendous communicator. Obviously, his words were carefully chosen on Friday, and the inference or the clear impression that everybody came away with was that he was supporting the mosque at Ground Zero, and he can parse it later on and sort of back away, but the fact is that was clearly the impression that he wanted to leave."

King suggested leading Democrats had urged Obama to back off after he supported the mosque and community center, which would be built 2 1/2 blocks from Ground Zero.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., also on CNN, said, "Government has no right and no business to comment one way or the other on whether a church or a synagogue or a mosque should be anywhere, so long as they meet the legal requirements."

On Sept. 11, 2001, King said: "Al-Qaida attacked us, Islam did not attack us. Islam, like Christianity, like Judaism, like other religions, has many different people, some of whom regard other adherents of the religion as heretics of one sort or another."