MORNING READ

President-elect Obama’s decision to have evangelical pastor Rick Warren give the invocation at his inauguration may anger his supporters but could be a shrewd political move, according to conservative and centrist bloggers. The idea of another Kennedy in the Senate continues to meet resistance online. And news of a joint ticket in the Republican National Committee (RNC) leadership race doesn’t sound auspicious to one conservative blogger.

Choosing Obama made a “clever choice” by picking Warren because the president-elect no longer has his old spiritual mentors to rely on and because he’ll get some warmth from evangelicals who haven’t liked him, writes Ann Althouse. It’s a “so-so move” for Obama because he’s going to please religious conservatives and offend others, while it’s a “spineless” move for the pro-life Warren to support the pro-choice Obama, writes AmSpecBlog’s Nicole Russell.

Appointing Caroline Kennedy to the Senate would be disrespectful to many other New York women who have worked in Congress and in public life for years, writes Nicholas Kristof, who backs Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D) for the seat. The possibility of Kennedy and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), two kids of prominent political figures, in the Senate suggests that U.S. democracy has devolved into tribalism, writes The Corner’s Victor Davis Hanson. At least Kennedy is learning as a candidate, having spoken to reporters on Wednesday after shunning them like Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) had done, writes kos.

The joint ticket for RNC chairman of Ken Blackwell, Ohio’s former secretary of state, and Tina Benkiser, the Texas GOP chairwoman, may win the support of the religious right but not the kind of support needed to win, writes Townhall’s Matt Lewis. The ticket may just hurt other candidates and allow current chairman Mike Duncan to win, Lewis adds. The emergence of Benkiser, an evangelical Christian, would mean the end of Karl Rove’s plan to bring Hispanics and centrists into the GOP fold, writes Trail Blazers’ Wayne Slater.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Warren: A Clever Choice – Althouse
Purpose Driven Inauguration – Nicole Russell, AmSpecBlog
Evangelicals Close to White House – G. Reynolds, Instapundit
Nicely Done – Damon Linker
The New Tribalism – Victor Davis Hanson, The Corner
Caroline or Carolyn? – N. Kristof, On The Ground
From Goat to Hero – kos, Daily Kos
Blackwell/Benkiser Unity Ticket – Matt Lewis, Townhall
Benkiser Wants to Remake GOP – Wayne Slater, Trail Blazers

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Regulator Schapiro to Run SEC for Obama – Wall Street Journal
Paulson Takes Lead in Auto Rescue Talks – New York Times
Obama Selects Evangelist For Invocation – New York Times
Clinton Backers Selected to Join Administration – The Hill