Obama Invocation

A copy of what seemed to be a draft of an inaugural invocation by Pastor Rick Warren arrived in my fax machine this morning. I've posted it here.

Progressives are too used to failing. Stop worrying about little battles, you just won a war. It's all about real results now, not words, and not symbols. It is time to think like winners.

Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration is dreadful. His explanation is even worse. He shrinks Warren's statements about gay people down to a "disagreement," as if we're talking about ethanol subsidies.

What if the Obama team is thinking more than just one move ahead on the chess board? What if they plan on actual actions to bring long overdue civil rights to the nation's last unprotected minority?

I'm trying to be open to the "we must talk to those we don't agree with" idea. Still, this is the first event of his presidency, and gay people's feelings seem so easily sacrificed by Obama.

The Rick Warrens of the world pretend that the Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman. But the Bible is full of men taking on second wives, prostitutes and concubines. And all the while, God heartily approves.

I wish progressives would get half as mad about today's Health and Human Services decision to publish "its "conscience rights" rule as they are about Rick Warren.

This choice illustrates the downside of inspirational figures and the accompanying bad habit of investing in Obama your own ideas, values, priorities and views just because he moves you.

Obama's campaign proved that reaching out to those with whom we differ achieves the advancement of the progressive agenda - incrementally, rather than all in one fell swoop.

Gay activists are giving Rick Warren the full treatment, accusing him of homophobia and hate speech and of comparing gay marriage to incest. None of this is true.

By selecting Rick Warren, Barack Obama has sent out the wrong message to the American people. He has betrayed not only gay and lesbian and transgendered Americans, he has betrayed us all.

The choice of Warren underscores the fact that no openly-LGBT person has been selected to take part in the Inaugural ceremony, or be named to any level of Obama's White House staff.

Obama and his staff are being incredibly disrespectful to Progressives -- having Warren anywhere near the festivities is just flat-out stupid politically.

There's something bigger at play here and you can't say Obama didn't warn you. He talked about reaching out, about expanding our politics and that crazy bastard actually meant it.

Obama could have chosen any clergy member in the nation to deliver his invocation. So why one who spoke out so publicly in support of Prop 8. Why re-open painful wounds?

For a good ten minutes, I puzzled over why Obama would select an anti-gay conservative preacher, Rick Warren, to give his invocation speech. Several reasons occurred to me.

The message for American gay men and lesbians in the choice of Rick Warren is that -- once again -- "everyone" means everyone but us.

Ever since Barack Obama was elected president, the media has been pining to write a story about liberal dissatisfaction with his transition efforts. B...