Reid Breaks With Obama Over Ground Zero Mosque

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid broke with President Obama Monday over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, saying the controversial Islamic center should be built elsewhere.

Spokesman Jim Manley said in a written statement that Republicans should show their sincerity about sensitivity to Sept. 11 survivors by backing a high-profile bill to grant health benefits to rescue workers, something that stalled in Congress earlier this month.

But at the same time, Manley put Reid on the record for the first time in the hyper-sensitive and volatile mosque debate.

"The First Amendment protects freedom of religion," Manley said. "Sen. Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else."

Reid's comments added another high-profile voice to the mosque controversy. The president first stepped into the fray Friday when he appeared to endorse the Park 51 project during a Ramadan dinner at the White House. The next day, he clarified that he was merely commenting on fundamental religious freedoms -- not specifically on the "wisdom" of the mosque project. Then White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama was not "backing off" his original remarks.