Nancy Pelosi's 'Transparency' Comments Make Mosque Issue Even More Divisive

Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempted a clever rhetorical maneuver Wednesday morning, saying she supports "transparency" concerning how the controversial mosque planned near Ground Zero is being funded, but also wants "similar openness" from groups opposing the mosque.

This is disingenuous for a variety of reasons. First, the implication is that this is a manufactured issue being "ginned up" by conservative groups, as opposed to a legitimate, organic concern. In fact, the vast majority of Americans -- regardless of political ideology -- oppose the mosque.

Moreover, the most prominent group opposing the mosque is The Anti-Defamation League -- hardly a conservative group.

But it doesn't end there. Pelosi's comments also ignore the fact that it was President Obama who really propelled this debate into the national consciousness in the first place -- and that even Majority Leader Harry Reid -- hardly a conservative -- also opposes the mosque.

The truth is that most of the questioning regarding the funding of the mosque construction, as well as with the "wisdom" of the mosque itself (with a few minor exceptions), has come -- not from organizations -- but rather from politicians, reporters, bloggers, and commentators.

Is Nancy Pelosi suggesting we look into their funding, as well?

As HotAir's Ed Morrissey noted, "What better way to defend the First Amendment freedom of religion than to have the Speaker of the House ask the federal government investigate those exercising their First Amendment right to free speech?"

By implying that anyone interested in discovering who's behind the funding of the mosque has a hidden political agenda, Pelosi hopes to turn this into a typical left vs. right political debate. She is hoping to make the two sides morally equivalent, a move that requires moxie considering some of the funding for the mosque may reportedly come from the Middle East.

By suggesting that anyone interested in how the mosque construction is being funded should have their finances probed, as well, Pelosi has ensured this debate will become even more divisive than it already was. And that is a surprising accomplishment!