Who the fuck is Rick Warren?

Seriously, who the fuck is Rick Warren? I understand that he is going to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration (Story: "Obama defends choice of pastor for invocation", AP) But that just brings a couple of questions to my mind:

Question One: Why? Why is this guy being treated as someone of import? I mean, sure, he does have a bunch of deluded followers, but so does Marilyn Manson and nobody is inviting him to the inauguration. The bottom line is that Rick Warren is as much of a bigot as Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. There are a million possible links to help support his point, but among the highlights are his equating gay marriage with incest, polygamy and statutory rape and offering his support for assassinating foreign leaders.

It was disgusting enough when Obama and McCain took part in his little forum during the Presidential campaign, further legitimizing this charlatan, but inviting him to the inauguration? Is this really the kind of face we want out there as a representative of America? Shouldn't we be pushing this nut out onto the fringes of society where he belongs?

And, Question Two: Why the fuck is there an invocation at the inauguration? Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could just pray to their little deities or whatever at home and get it out of their systems before the inauguration? That way we could keep religion out of the damn thing and maintain that whole separation of church and state concept...