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Worst Week inWashington


The Fix’s By Chris Cillizza S


ince we started picking who had the Worst Week in Washington— lo these many weeks ago — President Obama has managed to avoid winning the award.


When the gulf oil spill became a natural (and public rela- tions) disaster, Elizabeth Birnbaum, the ousted head of the Minerals Management Service, took home the prize. When the White House offered a too-candid assessment of GOP prospects in this fall’s midterm elections, we went with press secretary Robert Gibbs. And when the dismissal and attempt- ed rehiring of Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod turned into a circular firing squad, we opted for her boss, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.


But in politics, your number always comes up eventually. And so, on this 13th awarding of the Worst Week in Washing- ton, our unlucky choice is the 44th president of the United States.


Last week Obama did everything he could to escape the morass that the capital had become for him and his party, embarking on a five-state, three-day fundraising trip for Dem- ocratic candidates in tight races. But he couldn’t outrun the controversy created by his remarks the week before on the construction of an Islamic cultural center and mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero in Manhattan. Obama’s initial statement — made at an iftar dinner at the White House — was cast by many as an endorsement of the construction, an interpretation that led to a White House statement less than 24 hours later making clear that the president was backing no such thing. Days later, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) broke with the president by calling for the mosque to be relocated.


(On an unrelated note, Reid is in a tough reelection fight in Nevada.) Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Com- mittee chairman, then followed suit. The debate was on and, fueled by cable television, the week was lost for the White House. The hits just kept coming. In Gallup’s daily tracking poll,


the president’s job-approval rating dipped to 41 percent — his lowest so far. And a Pew poll showed that nearly one in five Americans (18 percent!) think Obama is a Muslim. (Uh, he’s not.) To top it off, the president departed Thursday for a 10-day


vacation to that symbol of middle-class America: Martha’s Vineyard. President Obama, you finally — and definitely — had the Worst Week in Washington. Congrats, or something.


Have a candidate for the Worst Week in Washington? E-mail chris.cillizza@washingtonpost.com with your nominees.


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SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010


The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war. When we think of Islam, we think of a faith


that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace. And that’s made brothers and sisters out of every race — out of every race. America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. . . . In our anger and emotion our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect. Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. . . . Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind.


—President Bush, speaking at the Islamic Center of Washington, below, on Sept. 17, 2001


‘Anchor babies’ aren’t the problem with immigration


by Alberto R. Gonzales L DOUG MILLS/ASSOCIATED PRESS


After 9/11, Bush called for respect. We need it again.


mosque from B1


country,” he said that day. “In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.” During my years at the State Depart- ment, I worked to reassure Muslim Americans and Muslim audiences across the world that Americans understand that al-Qaeda represents an extremist perversion of the faith. We know, I said, that the vast majority of Muslims seek peace. I told audiences from Doha to Ja- karta to Kuala Lumpur that Islam is part of America; our country is home to mil- lions of Muslims who live and worship freely here and are equally part of our great nation. Sadly, my message was of- ten greeted with skepticism. “You think we’re all terrorists,” a woman in Cairo told me. I had many similar conversations, and as a result, I became convinced that our nation should avoid the language of reli- gion in our discussion of terrorist acts. When Americans say “Islamic” in front of “terrorists” or use religious terms such as “jihadist,” many Muslims hear those words as an attack on their faith. Some of my fellow Republicans and con- servatives have accused me of political correctness on this point, but that is not my rationale at all. I believe it is in America’s strategic interest, and in the interest of defeating terrorism, that we make clear that we view most Muslims as our allies in a common struggle against extremists.


At the same time, we cannot ignore


the facts. As a Muslim American friend told me recently, “As much as I hate it, those hijackers called themselves Mus- lim.” This is what makes the location of the mosque such gritty salt in the still-open wound of Sept. 11, especially for those who lost loved ones that day. That same


friend told me she could understand the feelings of those who believe that put- ting a mosque near the site where mur- derers calling themselves Muslims killed thousands of people is too much. That’s what we need in this debate — more un- derstanding and respect for other points of view. Unfortunately, the conversation has become overheated, politicized and counterproductive. I believe that most Americans who oppose locating a mosque near Ground Zero are neither anti-freedom nor anti-Muslim; they just don’t believe it’s respectful, given what happened there. I say that as someone who strongly believes that the Sept. 11 attackers and other members of al- Qaeda do not represent any faith, but in- stead taint all faith with their acts of murder. I met many Muslims around the world who feel that, along with air- planes, the terrorists hijacked their reli- gion.


When my fellow Americans ask why more Muslims don’t speak out against such violence, I respond that they do — and I met many who were vocal in their condemnation of al-Qaeda and its acts of terror. Osama bin Laden wants to por- tray our efforts against terrorism as the West vs. Islam; we must work hard to portray them as civilized people of many faiths vs. a death cult. That’s why I believe it is so important


that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his congregation make what I fully under- stand would be a very difficult choice: to locate their mosque elsewhere. Putting the mosque at a different site would demonstrate the uncommon courtesy sometimes required for us to get along in our free and diverse society. I recognize that I am asking the imam and his congregation to show a respect that has not always been accorded to them. But what a powerful example that


decision would be. Many people worry that this debate threatens to deepen re- sentments and divisions in America; by choosing a different course, Rauf could provide a path toward the peaceful rela- tionships that he and his fellow Muslims strive to achieve. And this gesture of goodwill could lead us to a more thoughtful conversation to address some of the ugliness this controversy has engendered. In 2005, when I was at the State De-


partment, a Danish newspaper pub- lished cartoons mocking the prophet Muhammad. The debate around the world was heated and strikingly similar to this one. It pitted those supporting the right of a free press to publish any- thing, no matter how offensive, against those who took to the streets and threat- ened death to the cartoonists. Many of those citing freedom as they advocate lo- cating the mosque near Ground Zero were on the other side of the argument when it came to the cartoons. At that time, I joined with many Muslim friends in saying that while newspapers were free to publish the offensive materials, I hoped they would show respect and re- straint and decide against it. That is an instructive model now. A mosque at the edge of Ground Zero would be much more than a house of worship; it would be a symbol, in- terpreted differently by different audi- ences. For some it would be the ultimate expression of the freedom of religion we enjoy in America; for others, a searing reminder of terrible deaths at the hands of murderers calling themselves Mus- lims. I suspect that the terrorists might celebrate its presence as a twisted victo- ry over our society’s freedoms. Rauf and his congregation are certainly free to lo- cate their mosque near Ground Zero. But I hope and pray that they will show uncommon courtesy and decide not to.


ike most Americans, I am a descendant of immigrants and a grateful beneficiary of the opportunities available to our nation’s citizens. My


grandparents emigrated from Mexico in the early 20th century seeking a better life, and they found it working in the fields and dairy farms of Texas. Diversity is one of the great strengths of the United States — diversity fueled by the migration of ethnicities, cul- tures and ideas. Today, however, there is virtually universal agreement that our immi- gration process is broken. While secu- rity on our southern border has im- proved in the past decade, it remains inadequate in a post-9/11 world. Many employers hire undocumented workers with little concern about prosecution. Thousands of people cross our borders illegally believing they will not be arrested, expecting instead to receive benefits and, even- tually, amnesty. Based on what I have observed, most illegal immigrants come to America to provide for their families, and by most accounts, they contrib- ute to our economy. Nevertheless, we are a nation of laws. When people break the law with impunity, it en- courages further disobedience and breeds further disrespect for the rule of law.


Obama administration officials went to court recently to stop Arizona from enforcing federal immigration laws through a newly enacted state law, arguing that the Constitution gives them sole authority in this are- na. How the courts will ultimately de- cide this question is unclear, but with the federal government’s claim of au- thority comes responsibility — and so far, our national leaders have failed us.


President George W. Bush pushed for comprehensive immigration re- form, but Republican members of Congress refused to join him. Al- though President Obama and the pre- sent congressional leadership have used their majority to enact sweeping health-care and financial reform, they


amendment ratified by three-quar- ters of the states. I do not support such an amend- ment. Based on principles from my tenure as a judge, I think constitu- tional amendments should be re- served for extraordinary circum- stances that we cannot address effec- tively through legislation or regulation. Because most undocu- mented workers come here to provide for themselves and their families, a constitutional amendment will not solve our immigration crisis. People will certainly continue to cross our borders to find a better life, irrespec- tive of the possibilities of U.S. citizen- ship. As the nation’s former chief law en- forcement officer and a citizen who believes in the rule of law, I cannot condone anyone coming into this country illegally. However, as a father who wants the best for my own chil- dren, I understand why these parents risk coming to America — especially when there is little fear of prosecu- tion. If we want to stop this practice, we should pass and enforce compre- hensive immigration legislation rath- er than amend our Constitution. We need a new immigration policy


that complements our national secu- rity policy as well as our economic policy. In a post-9/11 world, we must know who is coming into this country and why — we cannot have true secu- rity if we do not secure our borders. Our policy should reinforce respect for the law through effective enforce- ment that includes a streamlined de- portation process and tougher penal- ties on employers that hire undocu- mented workers. Our immigration policy should also promote commerce and strengthen our economy. The reality is that there are jobs Americans do not want, and there are skilled jobs for which Amer- icans are not available. Our policy should include a more robust tempo- rary-worker program (without more bureaucracy) that attracts both skilled and unskilled workers to sus- tain our economy. Finally, our immigration policy must be practical, enforceable and ca- pable of effective implementation without enormous delays or many


People will certainly continue to cross our borders to find a better life, irrespective of the possibilities of U.S. citizenship.


seem to lack the will to try to pass comprehensive immigration legisla- tion. Even my apolitical and saintly 78-year-old mother wonders whether the Democrats are keeping this issue on the table for political reasons, hop- ing that Republicans will propose en- forcement measures that alienate Hispanic voters. Most recently, some politicians and concerned citizens have expressed a desire to amend the 14th Amendment of our Constitution, which says in Sec- tion 1, “All persons born or natu- ralized in the United States, and sub- ject to the jurisdiction thereof, are cit- izens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Propo- nents want to discourage undocu- mented mothers from crossing our borders to give birth to children de- rogatorily referred to as “anchor ba- bies,” who by law are American citi- zens. Such a change is difficult to car- ry out, as it should be, requiring a new


mistakes. It must also be fair to those who follow the rules. As our nation’s first Hispanic attor-


ney general, I have seen both the beauty of our tradition of immigra- tion as well as the threats that come with a broken system. We need to fix the process. This work will be compli- cated, because the best solution will surely affect families, foreign policy, national security, our economy — and will touch upon the very essence of who we are as a country. It will take courage to pass meaningful legisla- tion, but to do less or to take shortcuts places our security at risk. Americans expect and deserve better of their leaders in Washington.


arg@argonzales.com


Alberto R. Gonzales served as White House counsel and U.S. attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. He is a visiting professor of political science at Texas Tech University.


Outlook’s editors welcome comments and suggestions. Write to us at outlook@washpost.com.


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