Sullivan: Judge Obama on Whether He Delivers the Goods

I find myself agreeing with Andrew Sullivan most of the time. Or rather I often form my own opinion then find out he has reached the same conclusions. It seems we again agree, this time about Rick Warren. Emphasis added:

If we are going to endure as a single polity, we have to live and have a dialogue with those who oppose us. Rick Warren is not Pat Robertson. He can be engaged. He does good work in many areas. Better to have him in the dialogue than to return to the arid brutality of the culture war. And better for Obama to include Warren in his inaugural, while working to bring greater equality to gay couples and gay people, than to exclude him and preen in purity. We should judge Obama on whether he delivers the goods.

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Obama: I Am Fierce! Defends Choice of Warren, Namedrops Rev. Joseph Lowery

Obama Defends Choice of Pastor

“…I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans…

“It is important for America to come together, even though we have disagreements on certain social issues…

“We’re not going to agree on every singe issue. But what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere… where we… can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.”

Are Straights Obsessed with Two Men Kissing?

Why are straight men obsessed with gay affection?

Poor James Franco. (And poor Sean Penn. But for the moment, poor James Franco.)

In the relentless publicity interviews he’s been doing for his new movie, “Milk,” there’s plenty to ask about his performance as the neglected lover of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, the gay rights martyr. So what does every interviewer — from David Letterman to the Philippine Daily Inquirer to public radio’s Terry Gross — want to discuss most?

The kissing.

Wasn’t it really difficult to kiss another man? Implied: Without throwing up, seeing as you’re so obviously straight? Did you rehearse it? What was it liiiiiike?

Rick Warren Picked to Say a Prayer: Big Deal

Am I the only gay blogger who really doesnt care that Rick Warren was chosen to give a prayer at the inauguration?

It’s the policies, stupid. If Obama can use a prayer from Rick Warren to open the tent and bring in more people to understand and support him, so be it. It’s who Obama puts into government positions and what they do in his name that is most important to the lives of LGBT Americans, not who he chooses to have say a prayer.

LGBT groups and voices need to shut up and pick our battles. The invocation is not one of them. Leave prayer to those who pray. Demand policy be in the hands of those who lead for the common good.

Loving Brokers with Hands on Their Faces

Exasperated brokers are usually so darn cute. Photographers often look for ways to tell a story, and a financial broker with a hand on his or her face is a great way to say “oh shit, the economy is tanking!”

Bullneck Reviews Life in Washington DC

Bullneck offers a review of life in Washington, D.C.upon his second anniversary of living in what he calls the “Federal City.”

(O)ne spot of brightness is the next plus to DC: it’s Youthful Population. Through a combo of university clusters here, a job market geared toward entry-level government or contracting types, and the continued population boom, DC has one of the highest percentages of folks aged 18-29 amongst US cities. In this sense I feel completely amongst my peers, and the city has an increasingly energetic vibe with a forward-looking bent.

Another pro, and it’s a big one for me, is the cluster of Cops here. I don’t need to go into explaining this one other than to say that whereas NYC is perhaps the only city which can even compete with the Federal City for more police visibility, it just plain doesn’t match up with the variety that DC offers through a combo of Federal and local agencies and the annual locus of police events here every May.

Con: Crime. However, despite the amount of police agencies and visibility here, DC remains heavily-affected by crime, especially violent crime. There are areas of the District and region I just plain don’t step foot into. I’ve never not felt ’safe’ here, but there’s a sense that crime is going to get much worse before it gets better.

Read the whole thing.