Another word about Rick Warren

Since writing the previous post, it has come to this clipmonkey's attention that Rick Warren once said that Jews would ultimately burn in hell because they are not Christians. If this is indeed the case, Warren is not qualified to attend the inauguration much less provide an invocation for it.

A word about Rick Warren

Many on the left continue to vent their anger and disappointment at Obama about his choice of Rick Warren to perform the invocation at the inauguration. But the ones who are most up in arms are simply reacting to the word evangelical attached to Warren's name. Yes, Warren was unfortunately involved in the efforts to repeal California's same-sex marriage law, however, he is a largely apolitical evangelical who urges people to help out and give money to the poor. He is even known for reverse tithing- giving 90 percent of his money to charity and keeping only 10 percent. He is one of the few evangelicals who seems to actually acknowledge the Bible's emphasis on helping those in need.

So, while people can be disappointed in Obama for choosing Warren, he certainly is no crazy along the lines of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. Ultimately, he's a shrewd choice for Obama and the Democrats' efforts to bring religious people back into the party. Now let's hope he pushes for a middle ground on abortion...

A Christmas Wish

I hope the Republicans don't try to destroy Obama as they did Clinton. The sh%t happening in this country is too serious for the frivolities of the 1990s.

Hairhelmet-gate

Gov. Blagojevich is clearly a complete d-bag, but on some level, he's also a refreshingly honest politician. I mean, don't we all operate out of self-interest? Some of us are simply better at obscuring our motivations and maybe a bit more charitable in our actions as well.

Clearly, that giant head of hair has a reckless streak. Maybe he even wanted to get caught, but politicians make similar deals all the time. They decide not to run for positions to make way for a favored candidate. They decide to vote in support or against legislation in return for certain favors. They just don't announce it on a phone that's being wiretapped by the FBI.

A disgraceful human being

In his latest column from the Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol advocates for President Bush to give the Medal of Freedom to those who committed acts of torture. This speaks for itself:

One last thing: Bush should consider pardoning--and should at least be vociferously praising--everyone who served in good faith in the war on terror, but whose deeds may now be susceptible to demagogic or politically inspired prosecution by some seeking to score political points. The lawyers can work out if such general or specific preemptive pardons are possible; it may be that the best Bush can or should do is to warn publicly against any such harassment or prosecution. But the idea is this: The CIA agents who waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and the NSA officials who listened in on phone calls from Pakistan, should not have to worry about legal bills or public defamation. In fact, Bush might want to give some of these public servants the Medal of Freedom at the same time he bestows the honor on Generals Petraeus and Odierno. They deserve it.

Oh and he is one of the guys who brought us Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin. Is there anything more to say about this fellow Kristol?

Yes, we can

Last night I celebrated Barack Obama’s victory in the streets of Washington, DC with hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow Americans who were exulting in a spasm of patriotism that had been a long time in coming. I overheard one young African-American muttering, “After 400 years. After enslaving my people. Finally!”

African-Americans and whites and other Americans of all races were dancing, crying out, screaming with pride. It was the kind of joy I’ve seen only a few times before- when the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1988 or when the Seattle Mariners advanced to the American League Championship Series in 1995. But this time it really mattered. This time we were celebrating a nation at its best.

After the disgrace of Guantanamo Bay. After the horror of Abu Ghraib. After a war of choice. After Katrina. After years of reckless fiscal mismanagement. After the Florida recount. But also after slavery, after segregation, after Emmett Till. After Selma, after Little Rock, after David Duke, after Bull Connor, after Birmingham. After Willie Horton, after Jesse Helms.

After so many other shameful moments in our nation’s history, we have finally redeemed ourselves and our forebears.

Gas should stay at $4 per gallon

This clipmonkey and Charles Krauthammer rarely agree, but on Friday the often curmudgeonly and deeply out of touch Mr. Krauthammer was right on with his column on gas prices. Excerpt:

At $3 a gallon, Americans just grin and bear it, suck it up and, while complaining profusely, keep driving like crazy. At $4, it is a world transformed. Americans become rational creatures. Mass transit ridership is at a 50-year high. Driving is down 4 percent. (Any U.S. decline is something close to a miracle.) Hybrids and compacts are flying off the lots. SUV sales are in free fall.

This clipmonkey recently bought a house close to a Metro station so that he wouldn't have to fill his gas tank up continually. Now other monkeys will start following in his pawsteps.

Eff Joe Lieberman

Sen. Lieberman loves to pretend that he's a man of conscience, but really it's a cover for his warmongering agenda. As a fellow clipmonkey once told me, Lieberman, an aggressive opponent of violent video games, is okay with violence as long as it's the real thing. His current douchebaggery in support of the McCain campaign is particularly obnoxious. Nice to see that Obama b-slapped him, though. After this fall, Lieberman will be b-slapped by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus.

Yes she can

At the end of the day, she lost because she faced a more charismatic candidate, ran a lousy campaign, and was just too pigheaded early on in the race to admit her mistake in authorizing the Iraq War. But don't count her out. If she's smart, she'll cast aside Gov. Paterson in New York, and use that as a steppingstone to claim the White House in 2016.

Huckabee gets cute

In the presidential race thus far, Mike Huckabee has presented himself as a happy warrior, sort of a Gomer Pyle or Andy Griffith or Mr. Smith. But his latest stunt is an act of marketing genius. Maybe he's got a little George W. in him....