Rep. Anthony Weiner appeared on “Hard Ball” this evening with Chuck Todd, who is standing in for Chris Matthews, and was lightly grilled on his refusal to take a position on the controversial mosque proposed for construction near Ground Zero.

Weiner insisted this is a “bright line” example of the separation of church and state, explaining: “There is no constitutional interpretation that would ever say a member of Congress should be deciding where a mosque should or should not go.”

When Todd pointedly asked Weiner – a Jew whose new bride, Huma Abedin, is a Muslim – whether he’s trying to save political face by dodging a hot-button issue, the Brooklyn/Queens congressman replied:

“This is about…Look, people who are supporting the mosque certainly aren’t happy with my position…Look, what I’ve said is that I believe this is a dangerous place for a member of Congress to be. This is not like deciding whether a cop-killer bullet banning it violates the Second Amendment this is about as clear as it gets.”

Todd tried one more time to get Weiner to take a position, appealing not to the congressman, but to the “New Yorker.” Weiner didn’t budge.

“I don’t believe that a member of Congress should be weighing in on this stuff. Can I ask you something? What is it I take a position I say yes it should be here or there, no I don’t think it should be there? How is that not a violation of the clear separation of church and state? I mean that’s as clear as it gets.”

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