Cordoba wins this round.

We had a strong horse, a weak horse and a horse's ass. The strong horse has gotten everything he wanted and it cost him nothing. The weak horse thinks it has been more noble and tolerant. There will always be more horses' asses.

This whole thing feels like hardball being played by the forces seeking a new Caliphate. I don't think Park 51 has any money of its own, and I don't think it would be so stubborn the money men weren't interested in the symbolism of the being withing earshot of the WTC site. Like Jerusalem, there's a Mosque where the symbol of past glory has been destroyed and will not be rebuilt. The call of the Muezin will echo over Ground Zero. Will New Yorkers even have a Wailing Wall?

I think the backers of this mosque have won a tactical victory, but it will turn out to be a strategic mistake. Americans are in no mood to keep worrying about how thin-skinned Muslims are. If our troops pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq, the big losers will be Muslims, because they'll be back to killing each other in no time. Rauf belittles the claim that Ground Zero is hallowed ground, but if that's his position, what reason do Americans have to see Mecca and Medina or any other Islamic centers as any more worthy of respect?