'Sad day' if mosque gets shouted down

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it would be a sad day for America if opponents successfully kill plans for a mosque proposed to be built near the World Trade Center site.

Bloomberg has been among the few outspoken elected officials  supporting the plans for an Islamic center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero.

On Friday, President Barack Obama also backed the right for the developers to build a mosque there.

Over the weekend, the president added that he was not commenting on the wisdom of building a mosque close to Ground Zero. Some have said it is insensitive because the terrorists who struck the buildings in 2001 were Islamic extremists.

Bloomberg applauded Obama on Monday for backing the mosque. He declined to read what he called “nuances” into the president’s additional remarks on Saturday.