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I'm glad I missed the arguments about Rick Warren's appearance at Obama's Inaugural. It allows me to skip the back and forth and head straight for the conclusion.

You can't change hearts and minds if you aren't willing to engage directly and substantively with the people who oppose your views. Not only is Rick Warren the best-selling evangelical author of all time, he is also among a tiny handful of evangelical leaders who are politically independent.

If not him, who? If not now, when?

As the man says, we need to get back to a point where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and where politics is more about substance than symbolism. Obama is, in his own words, "a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans." This doesn't change that at all. And depending on what he does during his term in office, it might even reinforce it.

Andrew Sullivan gets it:

If I cannot pray with Rick Warren, I realize, then I am not worthy of being called a Christian. And if I cannot engage him, then I am not worthy of being called a writer. And if we cannot work with Obama to bridge these divides, none of us will be worthy of the great moral cause that this civil rights movement truly is.

So does Joe Klein:

I have no problem with Barack Obama asking Reverend Rick to deliver a prayer at the Inauguration. It will have zero--repeat, zero--impact on the policies of the Obama Administration. And it may do some good, especially if it gives pause to all those people who think that I--and the crypto-Muslim Barack Obama--are going to hell...If it causes those folks to give the new President just the slightest credit for appreciating their worldview, if it causes them to give him the benefit of the doubt on controversial stuff like talking to the Iranians or universal health insurance, then it's worth it. If it causes evangelicals to say, "Well, he's not demonizing us, maybe we shouldn't demonize him," it's worth it. If it makes Rush Limbaugh's toxic blather about our next President seem even the slightest bit ridiculous and over-the-top to his idiot legion of ditto heads, it's worth it.

The thing is, Obama is trying to change the nature of public discourse from the raw blast it has been for the past 20 years to something more civil and tolerable. You sense that every time he opens his mouth. He's all for opening doors. I don't know how many of ultra-conservative evangelicals will walk through the door he is opening by having one of their most popular leaders join the inaugural celebration, but I appreciate his inclusive intent. Even if I think there is an insurmountable roadblock to heaven--I'd guess it's about like the relationship between a camel and the eye of a needle--for those who make blanket judgments about which of us is going to hell.

So does Publius:

Obama isn't going to cause evangelicals to start loving abortion rights or gay marriage. But what he could maybe accomplish is to help elevate a leader whose primary mission in life isn't defeating and vilifying Democrats. That's all Dobson and Perkins have -- they commodify outrages and liberal hatred, and that's what they sell (at a nice profit). Warren, despite his flaws, devotes more energy to doing good things -- things that secular progressives could even coalition with him on.

Personally, I'd rather see a greater chunk of evangelical money going to fight AIDS than to defeat Democratic candidates. Obama's courtship of Warren could make that happen. Also, if the evangelical leadership shifts, young evangelicals wouldn't grow up hearing how awful Democrats are. Instead, they would grow up hearing how important it is to do good in the world. And without that incessant demonizing, younger evangelicals might eventually drift over to the progressive camp, which is far more consistent with their views on poverty, the environment, etc.

In short, Obama's invitation is extremely ambitious -- FDR or Nixon-level ambitious. He's trying to wedge one of the other side's key coalition groups and assemble a new permanent coalition (or at least one that attracts less incoming fire). With that new coalition in place, the legislative environment for LGBT rights will much more conducive to progress.

And last but certainly not least, could we please get some love for Obama's decision to pair Warren with Rev. Lowery? I mean, c'mon....

UPDATE: See?

Video of the week, no doubt:

You're not dreaming. This is for real:

Obvious joke made by everyone today: Martha has spent more time in prison than Calvin.

Also: Why don't I have a robot chain?

And: I've got to transcribe "Snoop's Tips on Fatherhood" for future reference:

1. Know when to lie to your kids.
2. Know when to be mean, and know when to be a friend.
3. Always stay in control.
4. Serve 'em juice, but hold the gin.
5. When the kids give you attitude, pop 'em like its hot.

And: Did Martha understand why he laughed when she said "We don't have black pepper. We have white pepper."

Last but most certainly not least: When do I get my recipe for Snoop's chicken wings? I mean, c'mon.... don't tease!

Three thoughts:

1. We need a better name. ObamaTube is dumb, stupid, and awful.

2. He needs a better background. And better production.

3. Solve those first two things and you've got something that could be transformational. That second clip is the first of what will be many weekly addresses. And as of today, that one version alone has close to 900,000 views.

Obama's use of technology networks is going to become one of the major - if not the major - focuses of this blog over the next four years. As with everything else, its too early to offer much comment on all this. But soon enough.... Soon enough....