Well, well, well...

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It appears that there ARE times when the Emperor-to-Be has no clothes. In the interest of full disclosure, I saw the Salon headline: "How the hell did Rick Warren get an invitation to the Inauguration?", but I did not read the story yet. I get Salon e-mails, and that was the title. Any overlap is coincidental, and I have been mulling this over since the announcement.

I understand the wish to change things, to conduct business differently in Washington and around the world, and I certainly concur.

It was imperative that B.O. select a minister that supported gay and lesbian rights to do the invocation, and he whiffed on this one.

Reaching across the aisle? No, here he crossed the aisle- just as clearly as if he had "reached out" to Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, David Duke, or Dick Cheney.

It's a slap at his gay and lesbian supporters, and the red mark is sure to fade slowly.

Probably.

Thinking ahead into what appears to be this "balanced punching" way of doing business, perhaps the slap will be offset by the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the military.

But even if he does that, there were many religious and spiritual folks he could have chosen that would have sent a better message.

B.O. says that people need to come together, even when there are differences on "social issues". Huh? Harvard Law review, and that's the best you can do?

It's a civil rights issue, a separation of church and state issue, and religious intolerance issue- but it's hardly a social issue.

And why just one minister? He actually had a chance to "bring together" people, literally, and he flunked the test.

Until now, the selections have been unassailable- hardly unanimous, but solid, and generally respected.

I hope this is both the first and last crack in the dyke.