Whoever thought that there would be an article like New York Mosque Debate Splits GOP.

Below is a collection of selected paragraphs from the article.  This selection is not entirely representative of the whole thrust of the article.

Norquist, whose wife is Muslim, has emerged as the most outspoken foe of politicizing the mosque issue.

In New Jersey, GOP Gov. Chris Christie warned Tuesday against politicizing the mosque dispute and tarnishing “all of Islam” with fears of terrorism.

“In the long term, there are reputational issues for the Republicans that could make it very tough to compete, particularly at the national level, given the changing demographics of the country,” said Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush.

Gerson backed Obama’s initial remarks on the topic, saying that a president had no other choice but to take a stand.

“I have spent time in the West Wing and know what it is like for a president who has Muslim citizens, has armed forces at his command and has Muslim soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who are fighting at our side against Islamic radicalism” to oppose construction of a mosque, Gerson said. “A president cannot say that a holy building serving people of this faith somehow desecrates Manhattan.”

A group of prominent Arab American and Muslim Republicans circulated a letter Tuesday to top party officials, expressing concern over the language Gingrich and other notables were using in the debate.

The signers included Norquist’s wife, Samah, who served as an advisor in the George W. Bush administration; former Bush White House aide Suhail Khan; and Sherine El-Abd, president of the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women.

“While we share the desire of all in our party to be successful in the November elections, we cannot support victory at the expense of the U.S. Constitution or the Arab and Muslim community in America,” they wrote.