Upon further reflection

Rick Warren is defending his selection as the invocation speaker at the inauguration next month.


"You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand," he said. Whatever that means.

While I understand the outrage over this selection, I'm not sure I can muster up similar feelings. It's probably a good thing that Obama is reaching across the aisle, and making an effort to make friends. Friends are more likely to listen to a differing point of view than an enemy. Few people were happy with Bush's partisan method of governing, and the whole Republican "mandate", so why is it bad when Obama tries to make a change in the way Washington operates?

Besides, as a non-believer, I view the whole religious thing as symbolic, unimportant tradition.

However, something else came out last week that got glossed over.

"The civil rights battle of the 21st century".

Really? The Obama camp believes education is the civil rights battle of the 21st century? Education? Seriously? Not the right to marry? Not protection from employment discrimination for GLBT Americans?

That statement shows a serious lack of commitment to a segment of the population that was counting on the new administration to make big changes.