Tuesday evening, the distinguished city council member from Macon, Georgia posed a question to the readers of Red State.com.  

Yesterday, Erick Erickson --the 69th most influential conservative in America-- asked, "Does Anyone Really Care That History's Greatest Monster is No Longer a Southern Baptist?"

The question presented by Erickson was directed towards former President Jimmy Carter who, in 2000, left the Southern Baptist Convention after that body declared its opposition to women as pastors and called for wives to be submissive to their husbands [Sengupta, Somini (October 21, 2000).  Carter Sadly Turns Back On National Baptist Body.  The New York Times.].

Now let us dismiss for a second the fact that Erick Erickson is reacting to a nine year old story.  Erickson proclaimed our nation's thirty-ninth president, and one of only two Georgians to win the Nobel Peace Prize,  "history's greatest monster."  Regrettably, the freshman city council member from Macon didn't provide a lick of evidence to support his audacious claim.

As the clock struck midnight Wednesday morning, Atlanta Journal Constitution political insider Jim Galloway posted on his blog news widely expected to significantly alter Georgia's political landscape.

Roy Barnes --the first Democrat to lose a gubernatorial election in 130 years-- wants his old job back.

Roy Barnes will announce today that he intends to become the first former Georgia governor in a half-century to reclaim the office after being turned out by voters.

Barnes, 61, enters a field already occupied by three Democrats -- Attorney General Thurbert Baker, House Minority Leader DuBose Porter, and David Poythress, former commander of the Georgia National Guard.

Galloway, Jim (2009-3-6).  "Roy Barnes to join 2010 race for governor".  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Polls say the former governor is considered a favorite to capture the state Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination next year.

An InsiderAdvantage / Majority Opinion Research poll conducted May 21 showed Barnes the prohibitive favorite in the Democratic race for governor should he decide to run. He was at 38 percent, compared with 3 percent for Attorney General Thurbert Baker, 2 percent for former Adjutant General David Poythress and 2 percent for House Minority Leader DuBose Porter, with some 53 percent of likely Democratic voters undecided.

Pettys, Dick (2009-3-6).  "Barnes Is In".  Insider Advantage Georgia.

Count me as one of those "fifty-three percent of likely Democratic voters undecided."

In recent weeks, states such as Connecticut, Iowa, Maine and Massachusetts have enacted laws providing for same-sex marriages.  Other states like New York and California are embroiled in heated debates on whether they should allow gay marriage within their borders.  Georgia is one of those states that banned same-sex marriage five years ago via constitutional amendment.

In case you didn't know, five years ago I was legislative aide to Georgia state Representative Karla Drenner (D - Avondale Estates).  Five years ago, Representative Drenner was one of the public faces opposing Senate Resolution 595; the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages in Georgia.  From the claims of "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" to the reasoning of marriage equality, five years ago, I heard nearly every argument there was for and against gay marriage; and there's one argument that always stood out to me.

According to a 2004 study by the Congressional Budget Office, there are 1,138 statutory provisions "in which marital status is a factor in determining or receiving 'benefits, rights, and privileges.'"  Once a straight couple gets "married,"  they become eligible for a range of benefits including the ability to file jointly on their income tax returns as well as being able to inherit an unlimited amount from their deceased spouse's estate without being subject to the estate tax.

In 1993, moderate Republican Christine Todd Whitman made history when she was elected New Jersey's first female governor.  She served for eight years until being tapped by then-President George W. Bush to head up the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001.  After a series of public disagreements with the Bush Administration, Whitman resigned the post in 2003.

Once she left the Bush cabinet, Whitman wrote a book entitled It's My Party Too in which she criticized the Republican Party's hard lurch to the right in recent years.

Today, perhaps more than ever in modern times, the Republican Party at the national level is allowing itself to be dictated to by a coalition of ideologica l extremists--I call them social fundalmentalists--groups that have claimed the mantle of conservatism and show no inclination to seek bipartisan consensus on anything.

Monday, Governor Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, announced the 37 member Democratic Change Commission, which will recommend changes to the Democratic Party's rules for the 2012 presidential nominating and delegate selection process. Governor Kaine also announced that he has named Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina and Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri as Co-Chairs of the Change Commission.

"This Commission will focus on reform that improves the presidential nominating process to put voters first and ensure that as many people as possible can participate," said Kaine. "I want to thank all the members of the Commission who have agreed to serve, including Congressman Clyburn and Senator McCaskill who have graciously agreed to serve as co-chairs."

Governor Kaine went on to say that he hopes to work with the Republican National Committee on a common approach that puts voters first.

As Democrats begin preparing for next year's midterm elections, a veteran political analyst is expressing worries about President Obama's ability to provide coattails for his Democratic colleagues when he isn't on the ballot.

Rhodes Cook, who spent almost twenty-five years writing for Congressional Quarterly before joining the nonpartisan Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, recently reviewed the results of the 2008 Georgia Senate Run-off and asked the following question:

. . .while the [Democrats] can turn out their large constituency with Barack Obama atop the ticket, can they do so when he is not on the ballot?

In Georgia, Cook replies, the answer is no.

Thanks to the Presidential Inaugural Committee for providing a copy of the speech in advance of its delivery.

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.  I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.  The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.  Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.  At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been.  So it must be with this generation of Americans.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

-Article Two, Section 1, Clause 8, United States Constitution

Rumor has it that when George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States, he appended the four words, "So Help Me God", to the constitutionally-mandated oath.  While it is disputed whether Washington actually uttered the words "So Help Me God" when taking the oath of office, every president since at least Franklin Delano Roosevelt (including Georgian Jimmy Carter) has added the four-word phrase "So Help Me God" to the presidential oath.  And in fourteen days, the President-elect will likely do the same unless atheist Michael Newdow successfully obtains a court order to block the use of the four-word phrase when Barack Obama takes the oath of office.

A California physician and attorney whose legal fight against the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance has drawn national attention now says he will join a lawsuit seeking the removal of all references to God and religion from President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony.

Michael Newdow believes references to God or religion are unconstitutional. He wants to remove the phrase "so help me God" from the oath of office and block the invocation prayer from Pastor Rick Warren.

[Source:  WXIA-TV (Atlanta), "Atheist Wants Religion Out Of Inauguration", December 30, 2008]

Believe it or not, I carry a copy of the Constitution with me everywhere; so I had to pull out my copy just to see if the supreme law of the land mandated that presidents be sworn in with their left hand on the Bible, their right hand in the air, use the words "so help me God", and have a pastor conduct the invocation as well as the benediction.

It's not there.

In fact, the Constitution doesn't even require a ceremony.  It simply says that "Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation. . ."

That's it.

All this extra stuff:  the ceremony on the steps on the Capitol, the inaugural parade, the many inaugural balls have become a part of our nation's traditions.  Likewise, the four-word phrase "so help me God" has become a part of the traditional swearing in of the president.

Newdow's suit, which was rejected in 2001 and 2005, borders on being frivolous.  

Actually, it is frivolous.