President-elect Obama defended his choice of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, saying that his swearing-in and the surrounding festivities will see a “wide range of viewpoints represented.”

The selection of Warren, the popular anti-abortion rights and anti-gay marriage head of the Saddleback Church, drew intense criticism from gay marriage and abortion rights advocates Wednesday, but Obama called for the various groups to focus on areas in which they agree.

The president-elect asserted that he is and will continue to be a “fierce advocate for equality” for gay and lesbian couples, but he noted that Warren invited Obama to speak at his church knowing that the two men disagree on hot-button social issues.

Obama noted that the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the preacher giving the benediction at his inauguration, holds opposing social views from Warren, adding that there will be “a wide range of views represented” at his inauguration.
“And that’s how it should be because that’s what America is all about,” Obama said.

Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way, was one of the first out of the gate Wednesday to criticize Obama’s selection of Warren.

“I’m sure that Warren’s supporters will portray his selection as an appeal to unity by a president who is committed to reaching across traditional divides,” Kolbert said in a statement. “Others may explain it as a response to Warren inviting then-Sen. Obama to speak on AIDS and candidate Obama to appear at a forum, both at his church. But the sad truth is that this decision further elevates someone who has in recent weeks actively promoted legalized discrimination and denigrated the lives and relationships of millions of Americans.”