Finally! A Republican politician who isn’t diving into the Muslim-hating gutter: Crist backs Obama on controversial Islamic center.

Oh, wait … that’s right. Crist was purged from the Republican Party as a RINO.

Panama City, Florida (CNN) – In a boost for President Obama on a red-hot controversy, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist told CNN Saturday that he fully supports Obama’s decision to back construction of an Islamic center and mosque near New York’s ground zero.

“I think he’s right - yeah,” Crist, who was elected governor as a Republican but is now running for Senate as an independent candidate, told CNN. “We are a country in my view that stands for freedom of religion. You know, respect for others. I know there are sensitivities and I understand that, but I think Mayor Bloomberg is right and I think the President is right.”