Barbra Streisand Disappointed in Obama

Advocate: In an interview with Larry King, Barbra Streisand said she was disappointed in President Barack Obama for not using his power to stop discharges under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

During their conversation Wednesday night on CNN, King asked Streisand whether she was disappointed in Obama.

“At first, maybe a little, because I would have liked to have him use his executive privilege to, if that’s possible legally, to get rid of something like ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” she said. “I think people admire real strength, even though it’s misguided.”

In Ford’s Theater, Obama invokes forbidden word

CNN: It’s a word so fraught with superstition, its very mention can send grown men ducking for cover — and President Obama used it Wednesday night.

Macbeth.

On a trip to Ford’s Theater, site of President Lincoln’s assassination, Obama paid tribute to the 16th president’s ability to recall passages of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth. And with that reference, he unwittingly ventured into what many theater hands believe to be dangerous territory: any mention of the name of the doomed Scottish king in a theater outside of a performance is considered verboten by many actors, who believe it will result in a cursed production — including a greater possibility of injury, bankruptcy, even death.

So does Obama have anything to fear from uttering the unluckiest word in what may be the unluckiest theater in American history? Theater-goers can relax: Many stage afficianados believe that the prohibition only applies to performers or theater hands, and non-actors have nothing to worry about.

But in the near future, the president might want to stick to movies. Just to be on the safe side.

Will Obama icons save our economy?

Blingdom of God: The triptych above is a hand-made Christmas gift, but if crafts aren’t your thing, Salon has a round-up of commercial Obama merch. The conclusion: “If there’s one thing that sells in this economy, it’s our 44th president.”

What are they eating at the Inaugural luncheon?

The details of the luncheon have been designed to reflect the theme of the 2009 Inaugural ceremonies, “A New Birth of Freedom,” celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, the Congressional Committee said.

The menu, created by Design Cuisine, a catering firm based in Virginia, draws on historic ties to the Presidency of Lincoln, who led the nation during the civil war.

Growing up in the frontier regions of Kentucky and Indiana, the 16th President favoured simple food including root vegetables and wild game. With time he became fond of stewed and scalloped oysters.

For dessert or a snack, nothing pleased him more than a fresh apple or an apple cake.

The first course — seafood stew and duckhorn vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley — will be served to Obama and the invited guests on replicas of the china from the Lincoln Presidency, which was selected by Mary Todd Lincoln at the beginning of her husband’s term in office.

The china features the American bald eagle standing above the U.S. Coat of Arms, surrounded by a wide border of “solferino,” a purple-red hue popular among the fashionable hosts of the day.

Main course includes a brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck), served with sour cherry chutney and molasses sweet potatoes. Apple cinnamon sponge cake dessert is a nod to Lincoln’s love of apples and apple cake.

In the backdrop for the luncheon will be a painting, chosen for the occasion, and borrowed from the New-York Historical Society. The painting, “View of the Yosemite Valley,” by Thomas Hill, reflects the majestic landscape of the American West and the dawn of a new era.

The subject of the painting, Yosemite Valley, represents an important but often overlooked event from Lincoln’s presidency — his signing of the 1864 Yosemite Grant, which set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias as a public reserve, said the congressional committee.

Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to offer prayer at Obama inaugural event

Edge: The first openly gay Episcopal bishop will offer a prayer at the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural event for President-elect Barack Obama.

The selection of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson for Sunday’s event follows weeks of criticism from gay-rights groups over Obama’s decision to have the Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Warren backed the ban on same-sex marriage that passed in his home state of California on the November ballot.

Robinson said last month the choice of Warren was like a slap in the face. In an interview with the Concord Monitor, he said he doesn’t believe Obama invited him in response to the Warren criticism but said his inclusion won’t go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.

“It’s important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way,” Robinson told the newspaper for a story in Monday’s editions. “Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority, or in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters.”

Clark Stevens, a spokesman for the inaugural committee, said Robinson was invited because he had offered his advice to Obama during the campaign and because of his church work. When asked whether Robinson was included to calm the Warren complaints, he said Robinson is “an important figure in the religious community. We are excited that he will be involved.”

Robinson, 61, said both Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will attend the event, and Obama is expected to speak. As for himself, Robinson said he doesn’t yet know what he’ll say, but he knows he won’t use a Bible.

“While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,” Robinson said. “I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation.”

Robinson said his prayer will be reflective of the times.

“I think these are sober and difficult times that we are facing,” he said. “It won’t be a happy, clappy prayer.”

Robinson’s 2003 consecration has divided the church in the United States and abroad. Last month, theological conservatives upset by liberal views of U.S. Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans formed a rival North American province.