Imus Wavers on Whether to Hitch His Wagon to Rep. Anthony Weiner

When Rep. Anthony Weiner says that he thinks politicians should stay out of the controversy surrounding the mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan, he is also referring to himself. But that did not stop Imus from trying to beat an opinion out of Weiner this morning.

“I think that when politicians start saying, ‘I favor that being there or that being here,’ whether it’s a church, or a mosque, or a synagogue, I think that’s a clear crossing of a line,” said Weiner, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Unluckily for Weiner, Imus was actually paying attention this morning, and recognized that his guest was dodging the question. More on that later.

President Obama will speak in Cleveland, Ohio today, and Weiner hopes he’ll focus on all that the Democrats have accomplished over the last two years.

“We’ve had the largest tax cut for the middle class in American history; we stabilized governments; we did our best to get funds to cities and states like New York and others so they don’t have to lay off firefighters and police officers to try to deal with the recession,” he said.

He believes the Democrats need to “get out of our defensive crouch” and talk up their achievements, or face the very real possibility of a Republican takeover of the House, and maybe even the Senate, in November.

Like all members of Congress, Weiner is up for reelection this year too, and while he takes nothing for granted, he thinks he’s pretty good at his job. Though he stressed to Imus that the voters make the final call.

Naturally, Imus was more concerned with how this affects, well, him. “I don’t want to waste my time developing a relationship with you—because I like you a lot—if you’re going to lose,” he told Weiner.

Obama’s announcement earlier this week about his plans for an additional $50 billion stimulus plan to focus on things like road repair is an indication to Weiner that the President is taking an active role in dealing with the recession.

“We have to try, we have to do what we can,” he said. “If we’re not going to stimulate the economy on a federal level, who is going to do it?”

In Weiner’s opinion, Obama has done a lot so far, passing health care, the first stimulus package, and financial regulatory reform. “You can accuse the guy of a lot of things,” he said. “Not doing stuff isn’t one of them.”

After all, he told Imus, “It takes a great man to build a barn, but any jackass can kick it down.”

Father Mychal JudgeThis weekend will mark the ninth anniversary of September 11, and Weiner and other members of the New York delegation plan to honor the first official victim of the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, who was the chaplain for the Fire Department of New York at the time, with the Congressional Gold Medal.

“Even before this heroic act, he had been this remarkable figure who tended to people with AIDS, who had taken particular interest in people who had substance abuse issues because he was an alcoholic,” said Weiner.

Then, in a display quite contrary to that of the late Father Judge, Imus figured out a way to get Weiner to divulge his true feelings about the mosque controversy.

“I’m going to put you in a closet with Jamey Johnson’s band,” he said, proudly.

-Julie Kanfer