NY Senate Tea Party Candidate: Ground Zero Mosque "Hot Bed For Trouble"

Citing concerns about sources of funding, Tea Party Republican and New York Senate candidate Gary Bernsten said Thursday he strongly opposes a mosque at Ground Zero.

"This looks like a foreign effort to put something there," Berntsen told CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent and "Face the Nation" anchor Bob Schieffer on "Washington Unplugged." "It will be a magnet for militants. Militants will be driven to that mosque."

"Many Muslims in the U.S., sadly, don't police their own mosques very well and that mosque will become a hot bed for trouble, right there, just footsteps away from Ground Zero," Bernsten said.

A former CIA agent, Bernsten is also the author of "Jawbreaker," a book on Afghanistan and al-Qaeda that contends Osama bin Laden could have been captured years ago if the U.S. military had devoted more resources to the operation.

Berntsen faces Republican Jay Townsend in the New York Senate primary in September; the winner will challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). While the Ground Zero mosque has become a hot-button issue in New York, Schumer has not yet commented on the situation.

Berntsen received an endorsement this week from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and said he has strong support with state and national Tea Party organizations.

Despite that Tea Party support, Berntsen concedes he will not have the money Schumer has, but plans a "massive micro fundraising" effort "just like President Obama did." Bernsten has raised $100,000 so far.

"Senator Schumer may own the airwaves, but we will own the streets," Berntsen said Thursday.

"New Yorkers are horrified at Senator Schumer's behavior, his support of people like Charlie Rangel," he continued. "If anyone saw a television last night, you saw the coverage of Charlie Rangel's birthday party fundraiser, of course a parade of corruption and arrogance. Senator Schumer was there supporting Rangel."

Schumer attended a fundraiser Wednesday for Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) who faces ethics charges.

Calling Schumer "over-exposed" and "a bully in New York," Bernsten said, "People give him money because they are afraid of him, but they wont vote for him. He will lose in November."

Republican National Committee spokesman Doug Heye and Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan also joined Schieffer on Thursday's "Washington Unplugged."

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

[sammieosu]

When will people understand that the main goal of radical muslims is to kill Americans. So they want to put them in our back yard. 9/11 will be a drop in the bucket if they build a mosque. Their goal is also to take over the USA.I live 18 mile from one of the largest mosques and they say they want to put their capitol there when they take over America. This is absolutley the craziest thing I have ever heard. Imagine losing someone in the towers and if you go to memoralize them you have to walk by the ones that killed them.

[eiddam]

What happened in the 20's that led up to the crash of '29,-[ coinsidently]- Bush's grandfather was with one of the largest Banks who walked off with the money, is the same that happened this time around starting slowly though Bush Jr. term, and again the wealthy walked off with the money. They own most of the big businesses, and will wait until the un-employed will be willing to work for pennies before the hiring begins.
Also the hate and discrimination is the same as in Germany in the 30's, first against Jews, and than to any who were considered acceptable. The Tea Party Fundamentalist, are behind the Hate that was started in Bush's term. I still believe 9/11 was our Reichstag to blame whom the GOP do not accept, and the catastrophe was not by the ones blamed. Do research, and also keep in mind all the astrocities Israel has done, has been overlooked in years, we still send billions of our tax money, and weapons to them, when drones are sent to others. Bush sent bombs to Israel because they complained about Hamas, but instead of bombing in the south of Syria where he was, they bomb innocent in the North. Also Bush and Israel threatened Iran for 8 years to nuke the country, and as soon as Iran mentioned Nukes, Israel pushed Obama to sanctioned Iran.
I still do not believe it was Muslims who was behind the 9/11 attack.

[bluester51]

Why in the red hell do I have to be so tolorant ? We didn't notice
any when we came back from Vietnam. We should be tolorant when the extremist nutbaskets in D.C. are letting our poor starve and lose thier
jobs and homes because some illegal will work for nothing ? You people
on the left are so out of touch with the real America. Your ***** are
going to be handed to you in November.I should be tolorant of Reid,Polosi,and Schummer.Tolorant, my ass !!!

[bluester51]

Why in the red hell do I have to be so tolorant ? We didn't notice
any when we came back from Vietnam. We should be tolorant when the extremist nutbaskets in D.C. are letting our poor starve and lose thier
jobs and homes because some illegal will work for nothing ? You people
on the left are so out of touch with the real America. Your ***** are
going to be handed to you in November.I should be tolorant of Reid,Polosi,and Schummer.Tolorant, my ass !!!

[sammieosu]

Bravo!!! The Muslims are laughing right now saying "how stupid these Americans are". We can kill Americans in our back and front yard from our new mosque. It is their Goal

[comicart-2009]

also, I forgot to mention, the proposed location of this Muslim Outreach building is a 1/4-3/8th mile walk from Ground Zero. It's about the same distance as you McDonald's loving Tea Bags walk in a year's time, so if you start today walking from Ground Zero, you low foreheads might arrive at the outreach center site about this time next year.

[comicart-2009]

by USA_is_back August 12, 2010 3:44 PM EDT
"OR a Cathoilc church - providing they build the priests a pre-school next door!"

LOL.. I love that comment.
aside from that, as born New Yorker, and having the COMPLETE FACTS, I can say I do not care if they build a Muslim outreach center at this location. IT IS NOT AT OR QUITE NEAR GROUND ZERO. It is 2 blocks away and if you know the area, then you know that you can't even see this building from ground zero.

I also love how the right loves to counter all their arguments with the Constitution - EXCEPT when it works against them. These people have every right to build anywhere they wish as long as they own the property and zoning allows it. It is intolreance that keeps the argument going, not intelligence. But that's the way of Christianity today - they want to repopulate the world with Christians & eliminate all other religions. Talk bad about Christians, and they get their panties all in a bunch, but the Church-driven vitriol of the right is as anti-Christian as anything could possibly be. I say that you should show how truly Christian you are and reach out to the Muslim community and find out how the two religions can work together.

Muslim extremists and Christian extremists both exist, but they are not the large percentage of either group. As such, it is foolish to think that all Muslims or all Christians are extreme.

If you believe in the Constitution, you believe in it for all, not just for some.

[sammieosu]

Why didn't the muslims reach out to the Christians to see if the two religions could work together. They just Killed.

[JohnnBA]

Is it true that Pamela Geller key organizer of this movement met Elias Abuelazam last week and helped him with money. Elias was arrested in Atlanta trying to flee to Israel after he committed several murders.