Ladies and Gentleman, Your Global Political-Religious Conspiracy
If this Politico article is to be believed, the fierce controversy over the Cordoba House/WTC Mosque will end as it should – with a gnab gib:
The Cordoba Initiative hasn’t yet begun fundraising for its $100 million goal. The group’s latest fundraising report with the state attorney general’s office, from 2008, shows exactly $18,255 — not enough even for a down payment on the half of the site the group has yet to purchase.
The group also lacks even the most basic real estate essentials: no blueprint, architect, lobbyist or engineer — and now operates amid crushing negative publicity. The developers didn’t line up advance support for the project from other religious leaders in the city, who could have risen to their defense with the press.
The group’s spokesman, Oz Sultan, wouldn’t rule out developing the site with foreign money in an interview with POLITICO — but said the project’s goal is to rely on domestic funds. Currently, they have none of either.
Weeks into the controversy, Sultan told POLITICO that the project’s developers are hoping to get their “talking points” together.
“Give us a little time,” he pleaded.
“They could have obviously done a lot better in explaining who they are if they really wanted to get approval,” said publicist Ken Sunshine, a veteran of New York’s development wars. “There’s a real question as to whether there’s money behind this.”
“As I understand it, there’s no money there,” said another prominent business official.
A prominent supporter of the project was blunt: “This is amateur hour,” he said.
“That’s why the idea that this is some big conspiracy is so silly,” said the supporter. “Yes, you could say this is not a well-oiled machine.
Clearly, the dark forces driving for “Islamication of America” are no match for the hardened realities of New York City real estate.
Ambiance 
Melinda said,
August 19, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Why do I have this feeling that the people behind Cordoba House started this whole bru-ha-ha deliberately so that the Powers That Be would give them money to build somewhere else, and that this was their original intention?
Melinda said,
August 19, 2010 at 3:48 pm
a/k/a “The Mosque That Roared.”
Maxwell said,
August 19, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I doubt it, but then I’m pretty skeptical about the human capacity for forethought. I just don’t think anyone is really that smart.
That said, I suspect all the press will help them get the necessary funding – eventually. Though it may be too late for the prime real estate they were seeking. For all the bad press, they’ve won a lot of sympathy from people who otherwise wouldn’t have known anything about them, and that will probably be of value in the end.