Beck is in a Catch-22

PASADENA, Calif. — Glenn Beck didn't exactly apologize for the way he questioned the nation's first Muslim member of Congress, but he did admit that he handled it poorly.

You may recall that, back in November, Beck said to Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, "What I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.' ... I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel. And I think a lot of Americans will feel that way."

Beck told TV critics he was really trying to make the point that not all Muslims are anti-American.

"Well, first of all, let me just say (that was) quite possibly the poorest-worded question of all time," he said. "And that just comes from my lack of — well, maybe quite possibly lack of intelligence."

Hey, a lot of people have made formal apologies that sounded less apologetic than that.

But the slew of people who e-mailed yours truly attempting to defend Beck by asserting that Muslims deserve our scorn because they employ terror and murder have completely missed Beck's message. And to all those who objected to yours truly comparing the misapprehensions people have about Mormons to the misapprehensions people have about Muslims ... well, Beck — a member of the LDS Church — did exactly that.

"My point to Keith Ellison ... is the same point that I make to my own faith, and that is — you must stand up before things get out of control, because by not standing up, by not making a very clear point and leading the charge, the people who are just working every day to just feed their own families ... just get whatever it is in the media, and they'll just say, 'That's probably right,"' Beck said. "And it's important for people of all faiths, when someone is hijacking their religion, to stand and say, 'That is not what we do. That is not who we are."'

Beck drew a direct comparison between those who incorrectly believe that Muslims are terrorists and those who incorrectly believe Mormons are polygamists. "I mean, I think people have their preconceived notions of religion, and very few people are going to do their homework on their religion. ... I think that's a problem, not just with my religion."