President-elect Barack Obama is seeking peace at his inauguration, but gay and lesbians see his choice of pastor as a nakedly political continuation of war.

“It is important for America to come together, even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues,” the prez-elect said, defending his choice of Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren — a same-sex marriage opponent. Obama said he personally would continue be a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans.

Equality California chief Geoff Kors said the decision amounted to choosing someone who ‘declared war on one minority community’.

Warren’s evangelical ministry is known more for its focus on social issues than many other evangelical pastors seen as strong political conservatives.

He calls his grand plan PEACE: Promote reconciliation, Equip leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick, Educate the next generation.

So is it war or peace?

Obama says the expression of diverse views was the spirit of his campaign that he hopes to carry over to his administration, starting on Jan 20 with his inauguration, where others who disagree with Pastor Warren will also speak.

“And that’s how it should be, because that’s what America is about,” Obama told reporters. “That’s part of the magic of this country – that we are diverse and noisy and opinionated.” 

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Photo credit: Reuters/Chip East (Pastor Rick Warren speaks at Clinton Global Initiative in New York on Sept. 26, 2008)

WASHINGTON - Sen. Robert Menendez has a tough if not impossible act to follow as successor to Sen. Charles Schumer as chairman of the Senate Democratic campaign committee.

Using such words as “aggressive,” “focused,” “committed” and “widely respected,” Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday named Menendez as committee chair.

Menendez of New Jersey will need all of those qualities — and probably more — to achieve anywhere near the success that Schumer of New York has enjoyed the past two elections.

The committee chairman routinely travels the country raising money, recruiting candidates and helping map out strategy. It’s a time-consuming job that traditionally rotates among Democratic party members, and  Schumer faces re-election himself in 2010.

With Schumer at the helm, Democrats pulled off one of the biggest political surprises of the 2006 campaign season when they gained six Senate seats to take control of the chamber, 51-49.

In this month’s election, with Schumer again calling the shots, Democrats gained at least sevens seats to expand their majority to 58.

With two races yet to be decided — in Minnesota and Georgia — Democrats still have a shot for the first time in three decades to reach 60 — a majority big enough to pass legislation over Republican procedural hurdles.

In the 2010 election, with Menendez leading his party’s charge, 35 Senate seats will be up for grabs — 19 of them held by Republicans, the other 16 by Democrats.

“I am humbled by this opportunity,” Menendez said.

“Under the masterful stewardship of Senator Schumer, we have made major gains toward bringing change to our country,” he said.

“We face historic challenges and must continue to move in that new direction,” Menendez said.

One of the challenges he and his fellow Democrats will face is the traditional difficulty of gaining seats during the mid-term election when their party controls the White House. Normally, the party that occupies the White House loses seats in Congress.

Schumer chalked up his successes during the final years of an increasingly unpopular Republican, President George W. Bush.

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Photo credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Schumer, left, and Menendez with Sen. Hillary Clinton at a news conference in 2006)

WASHINGTON - What did you do on election night? 

The youth and enthusiasm of President-elect Barack Obama’s supporters in the wake of his historic election could lead to a baby boom if the feelings last.

Hope and euphoria “are a serious aphrodisiac,” Newsweek magazine says in its Nov. 24 issue, citing interviews with experts, supporters and, admittedly, anecdotal evidence.

An Obama baby boom would hardly be the first tied to a big news event. Upward blips in the birth rate have followed many events, both happy and sad, such as the September 11 attacks or the end of World War Two.

The online Urban Dictionary has added the entry “Obama Baby” — “A child conceived after Obama was proclaimed President by way of celebratory sex, or any baby born under Barack Obama’s term(s).”

The key, says Florida State University demographer Woody Carlson, is whether or not this catches on.

“If it’s just a moment of excitement and then everybody goes back to being depressed, then we may see a tiny birth spike. But if it continues, then the birth rate next August (nine months from now) could be the start of something big.”

Photo credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson ( Obama supporters cheer and embrace in Times Square, New York on Nov. 4)

WASHINGTON - The G20 leaders found themselves in a predicament faced by many a family when trying to assemble everyone in one place at one time for a snapshot. Someone inevitably spoils the first take.

The leaders of the advanced and developing countries gathered in Washington on Saturday to talk about the global financial crisis started the day with a group photo.

They filed in to the National Building Museum and lined up smiling for the cameras to capture their bonding.

Then it was time to leave and head into the first meeting to discuss the world’s worst financial meltdown in decades and search for solutions.

But as they stepped off the stage confusion reigned, and they all turned back for another shot.

Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez had arrived late and missed the first photo.

So they all smiled politely once again, now the group was complete, for a quick second take.

An apologetic Fernandez turned to her neighbors and said “gracias.”

Photo credit: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

NEW YORK - President George W. Bush in 2003 landed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on a Navy jet where he delivered a speech saying major combat operations in Iraq had ended with a “Mission Accomplished” banner behind him, which later caused his administration headaches as the war dragged on.

On Tuesday, Bush landed on another aircraft carrier but this time was on much safer political ground. He landed on the Intrepid, a carrier that has been transformed into a museum which Bush helped re-dedicate as part of his last Veteran’s Day speech as commander-in-chief.

“Not only do we honor those who have worn the uniform, those who are wearing the uniform, we honor their families, and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” Bush said. ”We have a moral obligation to support our families, and we have a moral obligation to support our veterans. It has been my privilege to work with members of the United States Congress to nearly double the funding for those who have worn the uniform.”

His landing was not without incident however. 

As the Marine One helicopter carrying Bush landed on the flight deck, the wind from the rotors blew a Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra helicopter on display into another aircraft sitting next to it — and right by several reporters, photographers and camera crews awaiting his arrival. No one was hurt.

And the re-dedication did not exactly go off as planned either.  The champagne bottle to christen the ship failed to break as it was released by First Lady Laura Bush and Sally Hoover Casale, the granddaughter of the woman who christened the ship in 1943.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Marine One lands on the Intrepid in New York)