Pelosi Criticizes Politicizing Ground Zero Mosque, Then Politicizes It Herself

We overlooked this breathtaking bit of hypocrisy from Nancy Pelosi yesterday in the flurry of condemnation toward her for her absurd comments about investigating opponents of the Ground Zero mosque.

Pelosi's office released the statement after she told San Francisco radio station KCBS that opponents are trying to politicize the project. She said in the interview with the station: "How is this being ginned up?"

Then here's what's at the conclusion of her statement.

“For all of those expressing concern about the 9/11 families, we call upon them to join us in support of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act when Congress returns in September."

So who's the one politicizing this?

Meanwhile, the fallout continues.

In trying to explain her remarks, Pelosi said we need transparency in the funding of the mosque and in the funding of the opponents. This is bizarro moral equivalence. Transparency is so important in the case of the mosque because of the Saudis' history of backing institutions with radical imams and educational materials. The opponents, in contrast, are simply exercising their First Amendment rights to comment on, and oppose, a controversial project.

The speaker also says the mosque is merely "a zoning issue in New York City." As if it isn't adjacent to the site of an attack on the nation as a whole. Strictly local zoning issues don't engender an endorsement -- and then a walk-back, and then a walk-back of the walk-back -- from the president of the United States.

Pelosi was clearly irked that reporters asked her about the mosque when she wanted to talk about a local San Francisco matter. She should get used to it. As long as the mosque is going forward, it will be a subject of debate, and supportive Democrats will have to squirm -- if they aren't, like Pelosi, lashing out. With economic growth slowing and Obama's ratings sagging, the summer of recovery is looking more like the summer of meltdown.

It's the second miserable August in a row for Democrats. Maybe they want to strike the month from the calendar. Or at least find out who's funding it.

Here's something for Pelosi to consider when she's being relocated to smaller, much less posh digs on Capitol Hill next January.

Far more troubling, frankly, is the appearance of the most powerful woman in American government attempting to stifle dissent by raising the specter of an "investigation."

Has the lady never heard of the First Amendment?

That's the section of the Constitution that guarantees Americans the right to engage -- even to foment -- "concerted efforts to make . . . political issues" out of perceived political grievances.

Exactly who, we wonder, would conduct Pelosi's probe?

The House?

The FBI?

Some other agency of the US government?

Mayor Bloomberg was content merely to pronounce opposition to the mosque shameful.

Nancy Pelosi is headed straight for the fever swamps, and she's dragging the First Amendment in with her.

She needs to get a grip.

Imagine the outcry from the left if a prominent Republican publicly declared his intention to investigate who was funding anti-war groups back during the Bush administration.

We'd never hear the end of it.