Melissa Etheridge Gets It Straight

There's been a hubbub over Obama's selection of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the Inauguration. Many of Obama's gay and lesbian supporters and others have felt betrayed because of Warren's support for Proposition 8 in California, in addition to other comments he has made about gay marriage. Recently Melissa Etheridge spoke out, supporting Obama's choice. Not because she's a big fan of Rick Warren -- although she said they had met and had a cordial conversation, she finds his views about gay marriage repugnant. Rather, she understood that Obama was delivering on his promise to reach across divisions. If indeed it's supposed to be a climate of open dialogue, we have to welcome people that we disagree with and perhaps dislike. 

Many people have wondered what the nature of the  promised "Change" will be. So far, here on Inauguration Day, the change looks less like radical policy reversals. It looks like radical reaching across ideologies to have conversation. We'll see if the perspective of Melissa Etheridge will carry the day among other Obama supporters. We'll see if the conservatives/Republicans will be willing to participate in the conversation.