What on earth is Barack Obama thinking?

The president-elect has chosen Rick Warren, the mega-church preacher and author of "The Purpose Driven Life," to give the invocation at his inauguration.

We shouldn't just shrug this off as an understandable, if misguided, attempt to appeal to a broad American population. It's an outrage.

Warren is a right-wing fundamentalist who embraces the kinds of things Obama says he wants to change.

On the web this morning, liberal commentators were detailing Warren's background:

From Jonathan Stein on motherjones.com: "He strongly supported Proposition 8. He considers stem cells ‘non-negotiable.' He compares abortion to the Holocaust. He has admitted the difference between him and James Dobson is primarily ‘a matter of tone.' In a move that would make George Orwell proud, he just gave George W. Bush an ‘International Medal of P.E.A.C.E.'"

From Sarah Posner on thenation.com: "Warren vocally opposes gay marriage, does not believe in evolution, has compared abortion to the Holocaust, and backed the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

"Warren is not only a slap in the face to progressive ministers toiling on the front lines of advocacy and service," writes Posner, "but a bow to the continuing influence of the religious right in American politics."

Jonathan Stein's post notes a website called whitehouse2.org, where you can voice your objection. You can also post comments on the Obama transition website.

I can't imagine that Obama would pull back Warren's invitation, but it's important to let him know what you think.

What a way to start this presidency that we have placed so much faith in.