The XX Factor: What women really think.

Wishing for Wallis

But Sara, aren't there ways Obama can create that dialogue without selling out his own beliefs?  Picking Warren might make conservative evangelicals smile more kindly on Obama, but that choice also allows them to stay in a gay rights echo chamber, an inverted version of the liberal one you (and I) have put ourselves in. Instead, for instance, Obama could have asked Jim Wallis, the progressive evangelical who's a longtime friend, to bless his presidency. Wallis' work is mostly concerned with the plight of the poor. During his campaign to redirect religious-political dialogue away from social issues, he's in fact ended up saying some very interesting things about social issues. Like Obama, for instance, he's in favor of civil unions but not gay marriage. (Wallis: "I want churches that disagree on this to have a biblical, theological conversation and to live with their differences and not spend 90 percent of their denominational time arguing about this issue when 30,000 children are dying every single day because of poverty and disease.") People on both the left and the right recognize aspects of their beliefs in Wallis' work, but most probably also have serious disagreements with some of his teachings-isn't that sort of seductive nuance where dialogue starts?

Dahlia's absolutely correct to draw a distinction between public acts and private worship, but Obama's made it elegantly clear in the past that his religion and values shape the decisions he makes in public life. And, writer-in-chief that he is, he is acutely aware of the value of symbolism. That's precisely why this choice is so disappointing, because it means that he's given up a shot at intellectual honesty. He's not as far left on gay rights as I'd like him to be, but he could have publicized someone like Wallis who articulates the religious argument for his own position, in all its shades of gray.

Obama's AG Pick

On my blog, I wrote at length about what Obama's attorney general pick may mean to the adult movie industry. I've been writing about the sex business for over a decade now, and while every previous presidential election has seen some discussion around obscenity, this one was remarkable for its total lack thereof. As Declan McCullagh opined on CNET, Eric Holder is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to free speech. A decade ago, as deputy attorney general under Janet Reno, he pushed U.S. attorneys to prosecute pornographers, although the Clinton administration took a mostly hands-off approach toward obscenity prosecutions. Interestingly, Clinton's leave 'em alone attitude toward the adult industry spawned one of the most dramatic changes in the business, as the largely unchecked business of making porn movies became increasingly more extreme. These days, most liberals believe the less government intervention the better when it comes to free speech, but in Porn Valley, "anything goes" isn't always the best answer when it comes to the hardcore day-to-day lives of adult performers.