"Axelrod says Warren prayer 'a good thing'" (with video)

Mike Allen (Politico), with video (04:34):

Top Obama adviser David Axelrod strongly defended the selection of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the opening prayer at the inauguration, telling moderator David Gregory on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the nation needs to get beyond “shaking our fists” across a political divide.

The selection of Warren, a Californian whose “The Purpose Driven Life” has sold 20 million copies, prompted a fierce backlash from some of Obama’s liberal supporters — especially gay activists, who were miffed at Warren’s support for the Golden State proposition outlawing same-sex marriage, which passed in November.

“You have a conservative evangelical pastor who’s coming to participate in the inauguration of a progressive president,” Axelrod said from Chicago. “This is a healthy thing and a good thing for our country. We have to find ways to work together on the things on which we do agree, even when we profoundly disagree on other things.”

Axelrod did not take the bait when Gregory read praise from televangelist Pat Robertson for Obama’s Cabinet selections.

“We gotta get beyond this sorta politics where … we’re each on the jagged edge of a great divide, shaking our fists at each other,” Axelrod said. “We do have a great Cabinet – we’re proud of that Cabinet.”

Axelrod also said that Obama plans to go through with his promised tax increase on the rich, but has not decided when. Obama aides have left the timing ambiguous since Election Day.

The increase could come quickly through repeal of Bush tax cuts. Or Obama could delay it by simply allowing those tax cuts to expire as scheduled at the end of 2010.

“He’s promised a middle-class tax cut – this [stimulus] package will include a portion of that tax cut that will become part of the permanent tax cut he’ll have in his upcoming budget,” Axelrod said.

Pressed on whether Obama will hold off on any tax increase, Axelrod said: “The question is on the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans, and it’s something that we plainly can’t afford moving forward. And whether it expires or whether we repeal it a little bit early, we’ll determine later. But it’s going to go. It has to go.”

Gregory also asked Axelrod about Obama’s closed-door conversation with federal prosecutors investigating the corruption case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“They wanted to know anything that he knew about it,” Axelrod said. “He had no contact with the governor or the governor’s staff. He had some conversations with his own staff. … They just wanted to probe and see if there was anything more he could add.”

Asked twice about releasing notes and transcripts from staff interviews in the case, Axelrod turned the idea aside.

“Obviously, he’s going to be holding press conferences and you guys are free to ask whatever you want to ask,” Axelrod said. “There’s nothing more, really, to release. … You’ve got the full narrative of what happened.”

Finally, Gregory asked Axelrod if he believes the governor was “attempting to sell his Senate seat, in effect, to the highest bidder.”

“Well, David, I’m not going to answer that question,” Axelrod replied.

Axelrod, a New York City native and former Chicago Tribune political reporter and columnist, also led Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate.

On other topics, Axelrod:

—Said Obama had not been pushing for Valerie Jarrett, who will also have the White House title of senior adviser, to succeed him in the Senate: “My contact with president-elect never suggested that he was pushing one particular candidate over another. Valerie Jarrett … is a close friend and adviser to the president-elect. He wanted her in the White House. I never heard him express an interest in putting her in the Senate.”

—Said he does not plan to work on Obama’s reelection from the White House: “My job, David, is different than Mr. Rove’s job was. I see my job as simply helping disseminate the message of Barack Obama – working with the communications team, to make sure that we’re true to the ideals and the values and the programs that he wants to advance in this country. And that’s the extent of my involvement. We’ve got plenty of good, talented political people who are not coming into the administration, and – when the time comes – will run the campaign.”

—Declined to go beyond the president-elect’s previous statements about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now raging in Gaza: “President Bush speaks for the United States of America until January 20th, and we’re going to honor that moving forward … We only have one government and one president at a time. … He’ll be prepared to take over on the 20th.”

Barack Obama