I was tempted to title this post “Lazio beats mosque issue to death”…but then thought better of it.

The GOP/Conservative gubernatorial designee is trying to hold onto the issue of the mosque proposed for construction near Ground Zero by sending an open letter to his Democratic target, AG Andrew Cuomo, calling for a public debate on the topic.

“You have called those of us who oppose building this mosques racist and bigots. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Lazio wrote (the text of his letter appears in full after the jump).

“To get real answers I suggest that we debate this issue in an open forum to be covered by the news media.”

“Your position on this issue is so wrong and I recognize you may not want to defend it, but all the same I am asking you to do just that.”

Lazio's GOP primary opponent, Carl Paladino, has also zeroed in on the mosque question. But since he doesn't suffer from the same lack of funding as Lazio, Paladino has been able to make a lot more noise about this - even launching a radio ad that casts the race as a two-man affair between himself and Cuomo.

Cuomo has insisted the mosque backers have a right to build the 15-story Cordoba House based on the constitutionally-protected freedom of religion, and Mayor Bloomberg agrees.

The idea that the AG would agree to a debate on the mosque - or anything else for that matter - this early in the campaign season is pretty far-fetched. Cuomo has repeatedly said he doesn't plan to actively engage until after the GOP primary because (and this is beginning to make a lot of sense) there's no telling who might emerge as the winner.

Here's Lazio's letter in full:

The Honorable Andrew Cuomo
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224-0341

Dear Attorney General Cuomo:

I understand that there will be plenty of time for us to debate the important issues of concern to the citizens of New York in the fall. But the time to debate the Cordoba Mosque proposed to be built on the sacred land at Ground Zero is now.

Many questions about the funding for this project have surfaced in the press in recent weeks; including the funding for the project itself and the sourced funding for the land and building donation. However obscured and concealed these funding trails are, the people of New York have a right to know the identity of all the figures behind the project given many of their inflammatory statements by the public faces of the project.

As Attorney General, it falls under your jurisdiction to oversee the funding sources of “charitable” organizations such as the Cordoba Initiative. Many are wondering how the proprietors of this project came into so much funding so quickly for a project which is dividing the community.

You have called those of us who oppose building this mosques racist and bigots. You should be ashamed of yourself.

To get real answers I suggest that we debate this issue in an open forum to be covered by the news media.

Your position on this issue is so wrong and I recognize you may not want to defend it but all the same I am asking you to do just that. I am sending a copy of this request for debate to all television stations and all newspapers in New York. I believe the debate should be held where the audience can watch and respond as well as ask questions of us.

I hope you will respond positively to my request for the debate.

Sincerely,
Rick Lazio

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