What Obama ought to have added about the Islamic center...

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

"The American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba initiative are not connected to the attacks of 9/11 in any way..."

(I am assuming that to be a true statement.)

Sometimes stating the obvious is important.

Had the obvious been stated by the President in the context of his remarks then we would have very different news coverage.

This is a subtle point. If the President said it in the context of his remarks then it would have to be in the context of the story because (as idiotic as this is) the story is not the whole truth of the matter. The story is that the President said some stuff and the story is whatever the President said.

Shaping the story and, in particular, shaping the sound-byte.

TV news would feel some meager obligation to say, "Obama said the group had nothing to do with 9/11 and has the right to locate the center wherever they wanted."

We could have some somewhat different polling...

"A group of Muslims that had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11 plans to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center a few blocks from the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Do you think it is appropriate to build a mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero, or do you think it would be wrong to do so?"

Would tossing in what amounts to "these are the good muslims" be a little insulting, presuming such clarification is needed when mentioning Muslims?

Sure. But as a political reality such clarification is in fact needed in the US of A and offering it would not compromise a deep principle. It would not fatally undercut the point being made. And it would be better politics.

Just a note.