The Rick Warren Controversy
Give the man a break, already.
Navarette: Respect Obama's choice
Bold-facing is mine.
But the Warren controversy doesn't have anything to do with all that. This is about a president-elect, who just came off a bruising 21-month campaign, exercising his prerogative to choose whoever he wants to deliver the blessing at his inauguration. It's about -- as President-elect Obama noted this week -- Americans learning to agree to disagree without becoming disagreeable.
It's about those on the left knowing how to win and how to savor victory without giving into the impulse to attack each other. And, finally, it's about recognizing that -- for those who feel like protesting Warren's appearance -- there is an ocean's worth of bigger fish to fry.
It's interesting. Many of those raising a fuss are talking about respect, demanding respect, insisting they're not given respect, etc. Well, that works both ways. If they want respect, they have to give it. They can start by respecting the wishes of the president-elect to plan his inauguration as he sees fit.
The anti-Warren protestors are looking at the big picture and insisting that the selection of the megachurch pastor is a dead giveaway that Obama isn't interested in advancing gay rights or preserving abortion rights. They say that he just used those groups to get elected and has now thrown them overboard.
That's absurd. And it's an awful lot to glean from the simple act of asking someone to deliver an invocation. Why not let Obama get sworn in and have a chance to govern before we assess whether he'll remain loyal to the base?
The tale gets more curious. Even as Obama takes fire from liberal friends on the left, Warren is taking his share of criticism from conservative supporters on the right who can't believe he is even associating with Obama, let alone appearing at his inauguration.
When you elect someone to office, you not only elect the opinions you like, you elect the opinions you don't like as well. You elect the man and his conscience.
The fuss about Rick Warren is more agitprop, serving no purpose but to confuse and fog the real problem: extremist viewpoints in America. Evidently, to many people, both on the right and the left, civil discourse has no place in modern society. Because they certainly don't respect inclusion of their opponents, do they?
Navarette: Respect Obama's choice
Bold-facing is mine.
But the Warren controversy doesn't have anything to do with all that. This is about a president-elect, who just came off a bruising 21-month campaign, exercising his prerogative to choose whoever he wants to deliver the blessing at his inauguration. It's about -- as President-elect Obama noted this week -- Americans learning to agree to disagree without becoming disagreeable.
It's about those on the left knowing how to win and how to savor victory without giving into the impulse to attack each other. And, finally, it's about recognizing that -- for those who feel like protesting Warren's appearance -- there is an ocean's worth of bigger fish to fry.
It's interesting. Many of those raising a fuss are talking about respect, demanding respect, insisting they're not given respect, etc. Well, that works both ways. If they want respect, they have to give it. They can start by respecting the wishes of the president-elect to plan his inauguration as he sees fit.
The anti-Warren protestors are looking at the big picture and insisting that the selection of the megachurch pastor is a dead giveaway that Obama isn't interested in advancing gay rights or preserving abortion rights. They say that he just used those groups to get elected and has now thrown them overboard.
That's absurd. And it's an awful lot to glean from the simple act of asking someone to deliver an invocation. Why not let Obama get sworn in and have a chance to govern before we assess whether he'll remain loyal to the base?
The tale gets more curious. Even as Obama takes fire from liberal friends on the left, Warren is taking his share of criticism from conservative supporters on the right who can't believe he is even associating with Obama, let alone appearing at his inauguration.
When you elect someone to office, you not only elect the opinions you like, you elect the opinions you don't like as well. You elect the man and his conscience.
The fuss about Rick Warren is more agitprop, serving no purpose but to confuse and fog the real problem: extremist viewpoints in America. Evidently, to many people, both on the right and the left, civil discourse has no place in modern society. Because they certainly don't respect inclusion of their opponents, do they?