Yes We Can Redux

So, on the floor of the US House of Representatives in debating the health care bill (which, as you know was just passed by Congress & signed by the President), Minority-Leader-In-Perpetuity, John Boehner took to the floor of the people's House & seemed to simply delight in reminding the American public that the GOP is still the Party of No.

Now, that reminder has been set to music. The video below may seem familiar to a lot of people, but--with a little inventive editing--someone created a new version of Will-I-Am's awesome musical tribute to our President, and I hope it gets played on every computer in every household in the Land of the Free:

Happy 48th Birthday, Mr. President!

I know you're supposed to get gifts on your birthday, but I want to thank you for giving your fellow citizens the gift of Hope, and for reminding us that we don't have to wait for someone else to make this a better world. Just like Dorothy with her ruby slippers in Oz, we've always had the power...we just needed to believe it first!

:-)

Presidential Medal of Honor Recipients for 2009

The White House announced today the names of the 16 individuals being awarded the highest honor that can be bestowed by a U.S. President upon a civilian, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first time President Obama has bestowed the award.

Some of the names included in the list of 2009 recipients are the Lion of the U.S. Senate, Edward Kennedy (who was elected the year I was born!); tennis star & equality icon, Billie Jean King; SCLC President & civil rights legend, Rev. Joseph Lowery; international human rights (including GLBTQI rights) activist, Bishop Desmond Tutu; and openly-gay former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk!

I know that there will be plenty of people who see this as simply “throwing the gays a bone” (no pun intended whatsoever), but, in my humble opinion, I think it says a lot that, in his first chance to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he has chosen so many gay (or gay-friendly) public figures. I also think that these folks are long, long overdue for such a prestigious honor!

The awards will be distributed at the White House on August 12.

I, Barack Obama, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month

I know that it may not seem like a big deal to most people, and I also know that there’s much more to supporting the LGBTQI community than making a Presidential Proclamation but I am so thankful that we finally have a President who acknowledges that LGBTQI people actually exist, without using us as a way to whip up fear, encourage ignorance & rally the politically faithful. I still believe that offering committed same-gender couples "civil unions" instead of full & equal civil marriage rights as opposite-gender couples is not good enough (by a long shot) & that the "separate-but-equal" idea is heavy on the "separate", but light years away from "equal" & that it is as wrong today as it was in the last century. President Obama is right when he states that "there is more work to be done," but this proclamation reminds me that I no longer have to feel like an enemy of the state simply because I love someone of the same gender.

What a change from the previous occupant of the White House, of course, who only ever spoke about us in terms of the threat we posed to “family values” and “traditional marriage”.

Like Senator Barbara Boxer once said, “Elections have consequences…”.

I personally LOVE this particular consequence!

"...recognize ourselves in each other..."

Yesterday, President Obama spoke at a Capitol Hill ceremony honoring the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance, the theme of which was Never Again: What You Do Matters.

In the speech he gave at the ceremony, President Obama highlighted the fact that the same fears & ignorance (including homophobia) that helped to give birth to & nurtured the Holocaust, are sadly afflicting the human race even now:

"To this day, there are those who insist the Holocaust never happened, who perpetrate every form of intolerance--racism and anti-Semitism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism and more--hatred that degrades its victim and diminishes us all.

Today and every day, we have an opportunity as well as an obligation to confront these scourges, to fight the impulse to turn the channel when we see images that disturb us or wrap ourselves in the false comfort that others’ sufferings are not our own."

President Obama also spoke of the innate power in the human ability to examine our own hearts when we see all around us examples of humankind’s cruelty to its own. He challenged us not to give in to the urge to look away when we see the inevitable effects of that cruelty. He called on people of good will to use the ugliness foisted upon us as an impetus to challenge the status quo; as a way to re-dedicate ourselves to the idea that we can change this world, but only as long as we believe we can, and as long as we're ready to back up our good intentions with equally good actions:

"…we have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy, to recognize ourselves in each other, to commit ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference, in whatever forms they may take…"

Amen, Mr. President.

Amen.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig + 2!

So, apparently those of homosexual persuasion were still not welcome in New York City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, and it’s no surprise to me that some people think those of us in the GLBTQI community are no better than Nazis and Klansmen (ya know, the ones who would exterminate us like so many human pests, if they could). Remember, the Nazis in WWII had enough hate to spread around to almost everyone not of their beloved "master Aryan race." In my humble opinion, comparing gay people to Nazis is beyond insane; it is way, way below the belt. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum estimates that 100,000 men were arrested by Hitler's regime during World War II for simply being "suspected" homosexuals. 5,000 to 15,000 were estimated to have been killed for their “crime”.

Anyway, even though the boots of the NYC’s first openly-gay City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, didn’t have the chance walk in this year’s St. Paddy’s Day parade, I’m pretty sure that Ms. Quinn quickly forgot about the little minds in the Big Apple, though, considering her cool consolation prize! Christine Quinn got to actually celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with our President! It’s still so amazing to me the difference one election can make. We still have a long way to go, of course, but it’s so good sometimes to be reminded that not everyone is motivated by ignorance & fear.

Barack & The Supremes

Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, works to help young people -- advocates, activists, journalists, artists -- make their voices heard on issues that matter. I'm on their email list & today I got an interesting email from them regarding President Obama's potential for making a long-lasting change & a real difference in the highest court in the country. The article from Campus Progress's website follows below:

Choosing the Court
Barack Obama could pick as many as three Supreme Court justices. His choices could change the Court’s trajectory for decades to come.

By Dylan Matthews
January 28, 2009

At 88, John Paul Stevens could very well leave the Supreme Court during President Barack Obama’s first term. Today, he the court’s leftmost member. He frequently votes with the other members of what is now considered to be the court’s “liberal” wing, Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and David Souter. He also occasionally stakes out a more ambitious position, as he did on obscenity issues in ACLU v. Ashcroft and on search and seizure in Scott v. Harris. But when Gerald Ford appointed him in 1975, Stevens was considered a centrist. This shift was not in Stevens’ ideology; it was in that of his colleagues. He did not grow more liberal; the court grew more conservative.

At first glance there appears to be little Obama can do to reverse this development. The liberal justices are on the older end of the spectrum—Ginsberg is 75, Breyer is 70, and Souter is 69. Of the court’s conservatives, the oldest, Antonin Scalia, is 72, fiercely on his game, and unlikely to go anywhere for a while. Clarence Thomas is 60, and Samuel Alito and John Roberts are in their 50s. The chances of Obama replacing any of them with a liberal jurist—especially if he should serve one term—are slim to none. But if he does get the chance to select replacements for Stevens, Ginsberg, and/or Souter, Obama need not reinforce the status quo. He could, instead, work to revive the wing of the court that has disappeared in recent decades—the one that was to Stevens’ left in 1975.

The liberal wing was led by William Brennan and included luminaries like Thurgood Marshall, William O. Douglas, and, briefly, Arthur Goldberg. This faction of the court formed the core of many of the court’s most critical rulings under Earl Warren. They established the right to privacy in Griswold v. Connecticut, struck down school prayer in Engel v. Vitale, and first required police officers to issue Miranda warnings. They dominated Warren E. Burger’s Court as well, effectively abolishing the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia and, most notably, protecting the right to choose in Roe v. Wade.

But with Richard Nixon’s four court appointments, the tide began to turn. The death penalty was ruled constitutional again in Gregg v. Georgia, laws against sodomy were upheld in Bowers v. Hardwick, and the court moved to limit affirmative action programs in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. Then-Associate Justice Rehnquist succeeded Burger in 1986, and Antonin Scalia was simultaneously appointed to Rehnquist’s old associate seat. These moves accelerated the rightward shift. The court ruled against students’ right to free speech in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier and against a right to end the lives of loved ones in a vegetative state, also known as the right to “die with dignity,” in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health.

By the end of 1991, the entire left wing had retired. Douglas and Brennan were succeeded by fairly liberal Republicans (Stevens and Souter, respectively) and Marshall was replaced by his ideological mirror image, Thomas. While liberal rulings would still be made from time to time in the Rehnquist era, the task was significantly harder by the wing’s departure.

If Obama is to restore the tradition of Brennan, Marshall, and Douglas, he must use the few Court appointments he might be afforded to appoint justices unafraid to push for a vision of the Constitution that strongly protects individual rights and liberties.

Some believe that Obama’s cautious political style will lead him to select a moderate liberal from the appellate Court benches, and will cause him to pass up candidates capable of more systemic change. One of his recent appointments, thankfully, suggests a different direction.

Elena Kagan, whom Obama appointed to the position of solicitor general, is the outgoing dean of Harvard Law School and has shown a strong commitment to social justice. She has a particularly outstanding record on speech issues and would make an outstanding Supreme Court justice. Winning confirmation for her may not be easy: When President Bill Clinton nominated her to a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1999, Sen. Orrin Hatch refused to even hold a hearing on her nomination. But by selecting her as solicitor general, which has been a stepping stone to the Supreme Court for past justices like Marshall and Robert Jackson, Obama may be signaling an intention to prepare her for a seat when one opens up.

Beyond Kagan, a number of other academics, including Yale Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh and former Stanford Law Dean Kathleen Sullivan have impressive liberal credentials and would make excellent justices. Koh and Sullivan in particular would be historic appointments. Koh would be the first Asian-American justice and Sullivan would be the first openly gay one. Alternately, Obama could appoint a progressive politician like Deval Patrick or Jennifer Granholm. Historically, former elected officials like Earl Warren and Hugo Black have been tremendously effective as justices, due to their ability to count votes and lobby for their opinions. Patrick in particular would be a great choice. He has previous experience as assistant attorney general for civil rights and he has expressed strong support for Massachusetts’ state supreme court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

Regardless of the particular names he decides upon, Obama should be concerned with not just finding the candidates who have the most impressive resumes, but those who demonstrate a willingness and ability to bring back the constitutional vision of Brennan/Marshall wing of the Court. It is the only way out of the institution’s current, very uneasy, center-right equilibrium.

Dylan Matthews is a first-year student at Harvard. He is regular columnist for Campus Progress and has his own blog, formerly known as Minipundit.

The actual article can be found on Campus Progress’s website by clicking here.

Today, it becomes real!

I Pledge...

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

Happy MLK Jr Day (a.k.a. Obama Inauguration Eve)

"...a new declaration of independence...from...small thinking, prejudice & bigotry..."

Maybe I've taken our soon-to-be-President's message of Hope too much to heart, and maybe I am more excited than I should be to hear the person who will soon hold the Highest Office in The Land even mention the word "gay" in an inclusive & respectful way, but this excerpt from President-Elect Obama's speech as he left the Philadelphia train station today heading to D.C. for the inauguration reminded me that the American President can be more than just the country's CEO, the President of these United States can be the personification of the hopes & dreams of an entire country. In the even more difficult economic times to come, it's good to know that we'll have a President at the helm whose eyes and heart are wide open.

We are here today not simply to pay tribute to our first patriots but to take up the work that they began. The trials we face are very different now, but severe in their own right. Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast. An economy that is faltering. Two wars, one that needs to be ended responsibly, one that needs to be waged wisely. A planet that is warming from our unsustainable dependence on oil.

And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not. What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that our founders displayed. What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives - from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry - an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.

That is the reason I launched my campaign for the presidency nearly two years ago. I did so in the belief that the most fundamental American ideal, that a better life is in store for all those willing to work for it, was slipping out of reach. That Washington was serving the interests of the few, not the many. And that our politics had grown too small for the scale of the challenges we faced.

But I also believed something else. I believed that our future is our choice, and that if we could just recognize ourselves in one another and bring everyone together - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, north, south, east and west, black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American, gay and straight, disabled and not - then not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearned for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.

Obama Invites Bishop Gene Robinson to pray at Inaugural Event

President-elect Obama has invited openly-gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to give the opening prayer at the inauguration ceremony this Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial .

I am sure there will be many people who will be discussing why Bishop Robinson was given this opportunity, and if the choice of Robinson was meant to counter-balance Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to give the Inauguration Day invocation, and the political implications thereof, but—for me personally—this is a huge step toward healing the hurt in my heart caused by even the inadvertent message sent to me by this man who will be President, and in whom I have placed so much of his nearly-trademarked hope, that I must yet again defer my dream of equality for the sake of political expediency.

I know that I’ve made my feelings about Rick Warren known here, and I won’t go into it any further, but I just wanted to say—in the same place where I made my displeasure over Warren known—how much I appreciate my new President hearing the concerns of so many GLBT people—and our wonderful, loving allies--about the kind of message Obama’s choice of Rick Warren was sending to those of us who had genuinely come to believe we could expect better from this President.

All this reminds me of a line I once heard or read somewhere that seems somehow apropos:

There is no sound, no voice, no cry in all the world that can be heard until someone listens.

Thank you, soon-to-be-President Obama for not just hearing us, but listening to us.

Who made HIM President?!?!? Oh, WE did!!

I almost, kinda, sorta, a wee bit, feel guilty in posting this article from a website called 23/6, that reports on the absolute shock & fear that the same neo-cons & their enabling political pachyderm pals who blithely drove our country into the current ditch in which we find ourselves are enduing as they watch Barack Obama pick the people who will be running the federal government. My mother taught me to never gloat, so I very nearly hate to rub what is supposed to be a victory for the entire country (even the world) into the faces of those who have to be dragged kicking & screaming into the 21st century. They cannot believe that the President-Elect, to use 23/6’s words, “… isn't appointing the same people John McCain would have appointed if he had won.”

What the…???

Amazing how deep & dark runs the GOP stronghold State of Denial, isn’t it???

What nerve of Barack Obama to behave like he has not only won the election, but got the most votes of any US Presidential candidate ever!! I think there’s a pretty good reason for that, though: EX-MAVERICK-TURNED-BUSH-SIDEKICK, JOHN MCCAIN & HIS LIPSTICK-WEARING-PIT-BULL OF A SOUL MATE SARAH “THE MOOSE KILLER” PALIN ACTUALLY LOST THE ELECTION OF ‘08—even if “only” by about 9 ½ million votes!

I guess, since they long ago ran out of anything approaching real ideas & since they obviously have nothing constructive to add to the new national conversation, all the Republicans have left is whining & obstruction, and--if history is any indication—they’ll soon run both of those strategies together with their political fortunes & any real chance they have to be part of a badly-needed solution to the ugly mess they’ve worked so hard to create—even further into the ground before you know it.

While I'm not really one to encourage or offer hope to a political group who largely has no compunction whatever in promoting the idea of befouling our nation's most sacred document with the codification of a permanent second-class citizenship for GLBT people, perhaps all is not necessarily lost for the (formerly) "Grand" Old Party. In the link above to the 23/6 article, there's an awesome pie chart included that provides some pretty good advice to the remnants of Dubya's party, in case they still believe in life after (near-political) death.

One year and one day ago...

January 3, 2008: The day the world (or, at least these United States of America) refused to stand still any longer...

439 Days

I've always wondered where people my age belonged in the generational hierarchy. To my knowledge, we've never had a societal nickname, like the ubiquitous Baby Boomers or the "cool kids" of Generation X, and I guess no one gave us much thought, til one of our own (Barack Obama) was elected to Highest Office In The Land. Now we are semi-quasi-officially called Cuspers (a.k.a. Generation Jones or Generation Obama).

So, just like everyone else, we get a label, too (A label??? Wait. Why I am happy about this again???)!!

In defense of the "labelists", though, the link to the CNN article referenced above, in elaborating on the phenom known as Cuspers, contains at least two paragraphs that describe me pretty accurately:

Whether we call them cuspers, Generation Jones or Generation Obama, there are enigmas and paradoxes within this generation and its fans. They respond to Biblical imagery, but they're not dogmatic in their faith.

They value traditional notions of family but see men and women as equals in parenting. They go back to older American values -- civility, community, responsibility -- yet keenly embrace technology and use the Internet naturally.

As an aside, being that Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 and I was born October 17, 1962, our next Prez is exactly 439 days (which is 1 year, 2 months & 13 days) older than I am.

Finally, there IS a name for what I am...well, at least a name for ONE of the things I am, anyway.

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

One of the newer sites on the World Wide Web is Change.gov, which is being used at the official website of the "Office of the President Elect". On this website, our next President solicits ideas from everyday folks like you & me. On the site's first page, they encourage each of us to tell our own stories & make suggestions on how our government can be more user-friendly:

Your stories and your ideas can help change the future of the the country. When we come together around a common purpose, great things are possible.

Of course, being me, I was just curious if the new administration was going to not only acknowledge the existence of the GLBT community, but speak to the issues that matter to us & other equality-minder people, and, I was pleasantly not surprised!

In the Civil Rights part of the website, President-Elect Obama mentions issues several time that directly involve GLBT people...like he wasn't afraid to acknowledge we're here & that, as citizens of the U.S. of A. we, too, are yearning to breathe free!

So, check out The Obama/Biden Civil Rights Agenda

Combat Employment Discrimination: Obama and Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Obama will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.

Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

Fox Who???

I know it’s petty, but this simply tickles me.

As if I wasn’t “gay” enough for our next President!!

LBJ & MLK & BHO

Luci Baines Johnson, the daughter of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson, recently wrote a commentary for CNN about her father’s part in the election of Barack Obama.

She explains how her father laid the foundation, strengthened by Dr. King’s work, life & heart-but-not-dream breaking assassination, back in the 60s that paved the way for an African American with a decidedly African-sounding name 4 decades later to have a chance to prove to a still majority non-African American country that the content of one’s character & of one’s heart has always meant more than the color of one’s skin.

It’s long been part of the uniquely American story that any child in the Land of the Free could hope to be President, if that child studied & worked hard & believed, but for too many of those children, it was but a theory. With the election of someone to the highest office in the land of someone who only LOOKS different than the 43 citizens who held the office before him, we’ve finally proven to ourselves & to future generations of American children that hope just isn't meant to be theoretical or exclusive to only "the right people."

This must be what it’s like to have a dream come true.

Final Presidential Race Results

Just for historcial & informational purposes.

Bless The Beasts & The Children

Bless the beasts and the children
For in this world they have no voice
They have no choice

Bless the beasts and the children
For the world can never be
The world they see

Light their way
When the darkness surrounds them
Give them love
Let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from a storm
Keep them safe
Keep them warm

For the first time ever, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) endorsed a candidate for President: Barack Obama. Obviously the Humane Society is comprised of many kinds of people who are animal lovers & pet owners, and I'm sure they represent nearly every kind of ideology on the political spectrum, so the HSUS has resisted making presidential endorsements, although they do endorse congressional candidates.

Per Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) President Mike Markarian, in regard to political endorsements:

One of the guiding principles of the Humane Society Legislative Fund is that we evaluate candidates based on a single criterion: where they stand on animal protection policies. We don't make decisions based on party affiliation, or any other social issue, or even how many pets they have. We care about their views and actions on the major policy debates relating to animal welfare.

In breaking with their long-standing tradition of refusing to endorse any candidate for the Highest Office In The Land, the HSLF explained on their website that

...in an era of sweeping presidential power, we must weigh in on this most important political race in the country. Standing on the sidelines is no longer an option for us.

The HSLF Board of Directors (comprised of both Democrats and Republicans) was unanimous in its support of the Obama-Biden ticket. In urging their members to vote for the Democrats, they stated simply:

The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party affiliation, to vote for them.

And, when the Humane Society urged a vote for "them", they meant them! In speaking of the next Vice President of the United States, the HSLF proclaimed Joe Biden

...a stalwart friend of animal welfare advocates in the Senate [who] has received high marks year after year on the Humane Scorecard.

As you may remember, President-Elect Obama, during his victory speech after winning the election, had promised his daughters, Sasha & Malia, a puppy when they moved into the White House; he even addressed the issue in his first post-election news conference.

He has said he’d also like to adopt a hypo-allergenic breed because of Malia’s allergy. Apparently there are quite a few breeds to choose from. He also said he’d like to get the girls a shelter dog, many of whom (in the future President’s own words) “are mutts like me.” I honestly had no idea that our next President is such an animal lover! For me, it just shows that Obama not only has a great mind, but a great heart, too, and that’s just icing on an already fantastic cake!

Oh yeah, if she’s not already been adopted, I personally would vote for Baby (the dog in the pic above).

According to Care2, a 9-million member online social network that helps to connect people who want to help with deserving causes:

The above photo shows Obama with "Baby," a three-legged dog that lost its fourth limb following years of mistreatment at a California puppy mill. The toy poodle spent much of its life locked in a small wire cage. The breeders cut out Baby's vocal chords so that they would not have to hear her cries. In cages next to her, other dogs literally went insane, spinning repetitively with blank stares. Still others were gravely ill, maimed and had filthy, matted coats. A number was tattooed on the inside of Baby's ear, marking her as just one of many dogs at the mill