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Glenn Beck helps lead the right-wing mewling about Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction at President Obama's inauguration yesterday:

Good thing Barack Obama distanced himself from Jeremiah Wright. Is this how the post-racial Obama administration begins? I mean, I understand that he's an older gentleman, and that's fine, but, really? Someday brown can stick around, the yellow man can remain mellow? And white will embrace what's right? Can you imagine anyone else saying something like that? Even at the inauguration of a black president, it seems white America is being called racist.

Mr. President, I want to believe, I want to trust, I want to hope for change. But I am really failing to see how this is any different. USA Today reports something that I am actually shocked by -- that you smiled when he said this and shook your head. And it's not like you didn't know what you were getting yourself into. This is the same reverend that made Coretta Scott King's funeral all about politics.

Someone call the Waaaahmbulance, stat!

First, it might be helpful for Glenn Beck to know that the Rev. Joseph Lowery isn't merely an "older gentleman": he is in fact one of the sole surviving lions of the Civil Rights movement, a close and longtime ally of Martin Luther King (as well as Rosa Parks), and the founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, one of the major organizations in the battle over desegregation.

In other words, he's man who's been to the mountaintop that Glenn Beck thinks is just a handy piece of scenery upon which to chew.

Indeed, it is the persistent fantasy of the very same white conservatives who trafficked in suggestions that Barack Obama was secretly Muslim -- and that Muslims themselves are innately suspected of terrorism -- that somehow racism has been magically overcome by Obama's election (which they only coincidentally opposed, you know).

Being a true right-wing populist nutcase, Beck never quits while he's behind, and goes on to dig an even deeper hole:

And yet the only we ever heard about was the guy on the right that was going to open things up, that didn't say anything about yella being mella.

America is with you today, Mr. President. And you're right, we are all tired of the partisan bickering, the racial divides, the greed and the corruption. There are many people in this country who didn't vote for you, myself included, that actually want you to succeed. My family has been down on our knees for the last month praying for you and your family and your safety. You may be fascinated to learn that many of us don't hate minorities. That we don't want to starve the poor. And we're perfectly fine with brown sticking around.

Ah, it's good to see Beck acknowledging that maybe it's OK if "brown sticks around." Because we'd have had a hard time figuring that out from his previous Latino-bashing pronouncements on CNN.

A sampling:

"Every undocumented worker is an illegal immigrant, a criminal and a drain on our dwindling resources." -- Glenn Beck, September 4, 2007

"I've got a quick message for illegal aliens if you happen to be watching. You better start packing your bags. And to the politicians in Washington who are soft on illegal immigration, start packing up your office, because when the terrorists strike, which they will, and we find out that they're here illegally from some other country, we will be telling all of you to get the hell out." -- Glenn Beck, May 9, 2007

"America's border crisis. Rape, drugs, kidnapping, even murder. It is beginning to look a lot more like a border war." -- Glenn Beck, November 8, 2007

"It's time we wake up in this country. We are dealing with an illegal alien crime wave, and drug smuggling is just the beginning." -- Glenn Beck, January 12, 2007

And this one is similarly indicative of a tolerance of brown people (or lack thereof):

Somebody comes across the border in the middle of the night, why are they doing that? Really, three reasons: One, they're terrorists; two, they're escaping the law; or three, they're hungry. They can't make a living in their own dirtbag country.

Of course, Glenn Beck isn't the only right-wing phony twisting his pearls over Rev. Lowery's benediction. Seems Michelle Malkin is in need of a fainting couch too. (Give me an L!) Along with a whole host of their fellow wingnuts.

All because, evidently, Obama's election was supposed to mean that we're now officially over racism so we don't need to talk about it anymore.

And the ironic thing is, they accuse liberals of turning Obama into a "magic negro."

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Since much was made of these two invocations beforehand, I thought it would be useful to take a look at Rev. Rick Warren's and Rev. Joseph Lowery's respective prayers at today's inauguration ceremonies for President Obama.

First there's Warren's invocation, which you can find the transcript to here.

Warren's prayer, as these things go, was frankly pretty bland, but fine for this context. The best part:

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom, and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.

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Rev. Lowery's benediction, on the other hand, was surprisingly fiery, especially from the lips of an 87-year-old. Its wrapup was spine-tingling:

Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

Of course, the righty whiteys are already uptighty about this part of the prayer. (I'm betting Bill O'Reilly or Glenn Beck do something, since they lead the contingent that sees any discussion of our weaknesses and flaws as being "anti-American.")

What did you think?

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Almost as much as the sight of seeing Barack Obama inaugurated president, the sight of George W. Bush leaving for Texas brings me not so much joy as a profound sense of relief.

I haven't felt this good since sometime before Dec. 12, 2000.

A lot of right-wing talking heads (see esp. BillO the Clown) have been dismissing Bush's longtime critics as mere "Bush haters" who saw him as illegitimate from the get-go and never gave him a chance. And it's true that many of us were motivated to defeat him from the day he took office in no small part because of the way he took office -- without even a popular plurality, foisted upon the public by probably the most dubious ruling in Supreme Court history.

It wasn't simply, however, that he was illegitimate; it was something much bigger than that. It was that he was the leader of a gang of political thugs who had stolen democracy from us. From a rotten tree springs rotten fruit; most of us could see well down the pike that the kind of governance the Bush intended would drive the country to the brink of ruin.

Of course, we weren't the only ones:

I remember trying to begin a series at my blog Orcinus back in late 2003 titled "Manifestly Unfit: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush," which opened with the transcript from this skit. I only wrote one more installment before I realized that documenting and detailing Bush's failures was a task beyond my abilities back then.

After all, there was a hardly a day that went by in Bush's tenure without some fresh outrage -- some fresh lie, some scurrilous appointment, some destruction of the public good. It was relentless. After awhile, we all developed Outrage Fatigue.

I mean, how many of you remember Enron? That scandal in itself should have been enough to reveal his malfeasance to the public for good. But it was swept away in a tide of other monumental failures -- not the least being 9/11.

Adieu, George W. Bush. And not a nanosecond too soon. Because today, it feels like we got our democracy back.

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A truly historic moment. It speaks for itself.

Watch for the wingnuts to make hay with the stumbles. It's what they do.

We'll have the Inaugural Address up shortly.

UPDATE: Several commenters have pointed out that it was Chief Justice Roberts who screwed up the oath, not Obama.

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Full text here and below.

My favorite part:

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

I also love seeing this.

Full text of the speech below.

Continue reading »

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CNN ran Martin Luther King's immortal 1963 speech on the Washington Mall -- known as the "I Have a Dream" speech -- in its entirety today, and it really is something to see again.

Meanwhile, a CNN poll finds that more than two-thirds of black Americans consider King's vision now fulfilled with Barack Obama's election.

No doubt, every white Republican on the planet (see esp. Bill Bennett) will now wave that poll in our faces to claim that racism has been officially overcome.

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As the final stop of his whistle-stop tour heading to Washington DC this weekend, President-elect Barack Obama spoke in Baltimore and told Americans that we need to re-declare our independence from the divisiveness that has held us in its grip for the last eight years:

We are here today not simply to pay tribute to those patriots who founded our nation in Philadelphia or defended it in Baltimore, but to take up the cause for which they gave so much. The trials we face are very different now, but severe in their own right. Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast. An economy that is faltering. Two wars, one that needs to be ended responsibly, one that needs to be waged wisely. A planet that is warming from our unsustainable dependence on oil.

And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not. What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that those first patriots displayed. What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives - from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry - an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.

What can I tell you? The man knows how to rock a good speech. It surprised me that even as irretrievably jaded as I thought I had become, I found myself welling with emotion.

I only hope that we can create a more perfect union by embracing new ideas instead of clinging to those old ideas that have not worked in the past.

Bruce Wilson at Talk2Action has come up with easily the most disturbing audio clip of a Rick Warren sermon I've heard yet -- and that's saying something:

On April 17, 2005, at the southern California Anaheim Angels sports stadium thirty thousand Saddleback Church members, more than ever gathered in one spot, assembled to celebrate Saddleback's 25th anniversary and listened as Rick Warren announced his vision for the next 25 years of the church: the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.

Towards the close of his nearly one hour speech, Pastor Warren asked his followers to be as committed to Jesus as the young Nazi men and women who spelled out in mass formation with their bodies the words "Hitler, we are yours," in 1939 at the Munich Stadium, were committed to the Führer of the Third Reich, a major instigator of a World War that claimed 55 million lives. Rick Warren has exhorted Christians towards Nazi-like dedication in at least several public speeches and also during a one hour video recording of a talk by Warren, explaining his P.E.A.C.E. Plan, that is currently hosted on the official P.E.A.C.E. Plan website. A version of the anecdote can also be found on page 357 of Rick Warren's 1995 book The Purpose Driven Church, which sold over one million copies.

Here's what Warren says, exactly:

What is the vision for the next 25 years ? I'll tell you what it is.

It is the global expansion of the kingdom of God.

It is the total mobilization of his church.

And the third part is the goal of a radical devotion of every believer.

Now, I choose that word 'radical' intentionally, because only radicals change the world.

Everything great done in this world is done by passionate people.

Moderate people get moderately nothing done. And moderation will never slay the global giants. . ."

At which point he launches into a recitation of the achievements of past radicals -- notably, Hitler and Mao:

"In 1939, in a stadium much like this, in Munich Germany, they packed it out with young men and women in brown shirts, for a fanatical man standing behind a podium named Adolf Hitler, the personification of evil.

And in that stadium, those in brown shirts formed with their bodies a sign that said, in the whole stadium, "Hitler, we are yours."

And they nearly took the world.

Lenin once said, "give me 100 committed, totally committed men and I'll change the world." And, he nearly did.

A few years ago, they took the sayings of Chairman Mao, in China, put them in a little red book, and a group of young people committed them to memory and put it in their minds and they took that nation, the largest nation in the world by storm because they committed to memory the sayings of the Chairman Mao.

When I hear those kinds of stories, I think 'what would happen if American Christians, if world Christians, if just the Christians in this stadium, followers of Christ, would say 'Jesus, we are yours' ?

What kind of spiritual awakening would we have ?

What kind indeed.

It probably didn't cross Warren's mind, but the examples he cites are two of the world's most classic cases of totalitarianism. The products of their regimes -- beyond millions of people dead -- included the forced regimentation of thought and no press or free-speech protections whatsoever.

If that's the kind of fervent "radicalism" he admires, then we badly need to ought to take a long look at just what his agenda really is. And so ought Barack Obama.

Digby has more.

[H/t to Lisa Derrick at La Figa.]

A video in support of The Alternative Invocation blogswarm.

PS. The Weblog Awards voting has started. In an embarrassment of riches, Crooks and Liars is competing with its own writers David Neiwert (Orcinus) and Blue Gal (Blue Gal) for Best Liberal Blog. Our own Susie Madrak (Suburban Guerrilla) is up for Best Midsize Blog, and regular C&L contributor Driftglass is up for Best Individual Blogger. You can vote once in each category every 24 hours. Open thread below...

It seems Barack Obama's decided to invite Pastor Rick Warren, the noted homophobe, to offer the invocation at his Inauguration as a kind of "bridge building" gesture. Maybe he's able to look into his soul or something.

It's understandable, given his background as a community organizer (not to mention someone who pitches "the audacity of hope"), that Obama believes you can reach out a hand to movement conservatives and build such bridges. Indeed, he's made it clear all along that's the kind of guy he is.

I just hope that when he finally gets that hand back after reaching it out and discovers it has been chewed clean down to the bone by a thousand vicious cuts that he has a little awakening about the nature of the nasty little beast the American Right has become in the past couple of decades. Such gestures for them are mere signs of weakness, nothing but opportunities to advance themselves and their agendas and to destroy liberals.

Bill Clinton had similar naivete early in his presidency, and it cost him dearly.

Well, Obama's not listening to us anyway. We're the now-marginalized dirty hippies he gets praised for slapping. Whatever.

So, in the spirit of bridge-building ourselves, we've tried to come up with some other invitees of the same sort who might just fit the same sort of bridge-building bill for Obama's inauguration:

• Rush Limbaugh
• Sean Hannity
• Zeb Bell
• Ann Coulter
• Sarah Palin
• Bristol Palin's future mother-in-law
• Karl Rove
• Dick Cheney
• Darth Vader
• Voldemort

Maybe you can come up with some too. I'll post some of the better suggestions in an update.