Clinton attended a ceremony unveiling a statue of Walt Whitman at Moscow State University with Russian officials including Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Luzhkov has blocked all attempts to hold gay pride marches in Moscow, once saying they “can be described in no other way than as satanic.”

Clinton did not mention of the issue during the ceremony. Some biographers have described Whitman as homosexual and U.S. gay activists have claimed him as symbol of their movement.

“Just as Pushkin and Whitman reset poetry we are resetting our relations for the 21st century,” Clinton said. A statue of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was erected at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., in 2000.

It was not clear whether Luzhkov was aware of Whitman’s status as a gay icon, and sponsors of the statue said they were honoring Whitman strictly for his contributions to literature.

“Whitman transcended his sexuality in his art and I would like to thank Mayor Luzhkov for welcoming him in his city and have absolutely nothing to say about those things,” said James W. Symington, a former four-time congressman for Missouri and representative of the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation.

Gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev said Wednesday he was disappointed Clinton did not discuss discrimination against gays.

“Russia is supposed to be a democracy and she said nothing,” he said.

Alexeyev had called on Clinton to denounce what he called entrenched and degrading homophobic attitudes in Russia at a news conference Tuesday.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said the department was unaware of any request from the Russian gay community.

Homosexuality was only decriminalized in Russia in 1993 and homophobic attitudes remain widespread.

Activists have taken the struggle to hold a gay pride parade in Moscow to the European Court of Justice, which is scheduled to rule on the issue in early 2010.

The statue of Walt Whitman was placed in the gardens of Moscow State University, where in May more than 30 gay activists were arrested for attempting to hold a pride march.

The statue of Walt Whitman will complement a statue of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin installed in Washington in 2000.

Whitman sculptor Alexander Bourganov remarked at a press conference Tuesday that the opening had been delayed and been politically difficult. He did not elaborate.

U.S. State Dept. spokesperson Ian Kelly, when questioned by reporters about anti-gay violence in Iraq, said:

Amnesty International says that said that “as many as 25 boys and men have been killed in Baghdad alone because they were either gay or believed to be amid concerns that religious leaders may be inciting violence against Iraq’s gay community,” The Times of India reports.

In a notice to be sent soon to State Department employees, Clinton says regulations that denied same-sex couples and their families the same rights and privileges that straight diplomats enjoyed are “unfair and must end,” as they harm U.S. diplomacy.

“Providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad,” she says in the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

“It will also help the department attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are increasingly the norm for world-class employers,” she says.

“At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do,” Clinton says.

Among the benefits that will now be granted gay diplomats: the right of domestic partners to hold diplomatic passports, government-paid travel for their partners and families to and from foreign posts, and the use of U.S. medical facilities abroad.

In addition, gay diplomats’ families will now be eligible for U.S. government emergency evacuations and training courses at the Foreign Service Institute, the message says.

The announcement, expected this week, was provided to the AP by a State Department official who is a member of the Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies organization. Two department officials not affiliated with the organization confirmed its accuracy.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the changes.

Previously, the State Department had withheld some benefits from the families of gay diplomats, citing the Defense of Marriage Law, which had restricted federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

One former ambassador, Michael Guest, resigned from the foreign service in 2007 to protest the restrictions. Guest was a part of the Obama administration’s State Department transition team and played a major role in lobbying for the changes.

In an internal memo sent to the Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced last week that the State Department will begin granting equal benefits to the spouses of gay diplomats.

Secretary Clinton indicated shortly after assuming her role as head of the State Department that she intended to change the benefit rules for same-sex couples. At the first town-hall she held with employees of the State Department, Clinton said that she saw the issue “as an issue of workplace fairness, employee retention, and the safety and effectiveness of our embassy communities.”

She echoed those themes in her memo announcing the change:

In a notice to be sent soon to State Department employees, Clinton says regulations that denied same-sex couples and their families the same rights and privileges that straight diplomats enjoyed are “unfair and must end,” as they harm U.S. diplomacy.

“Providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad,” she says in the message, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

“It will also help the department attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are increasingly the norm for world-class employers,” she says.

“At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do,” Clinton says.

According to the New York Times, the new benefits granted same-sex partners include diplomatic passports, use of medical facilities, emergency evacuation from posts, transportation between posts, and training in security and languages.

All these benefits– in particular those safety-related elements like emergency evacuation for same-sex partners– are essential to the gay diplomats currently serving as part of the foreign service. Secretary Clinton and the Obama administration should be applauded for acknowleging the importance of change for the families of same-sex diplomats. But we should not allow this to become their demonstration of their commitment to the LGBT community.

It is an important step, but, if anything, it demonstrates only that they do believe in the importance of equality and their actions to the contrary are, at root, political calculations. So kudos, Secretary Clinton and the Obama administration, for this step toward justice. But let’s not let it distract us from larger, national fights that impact millions of LGBT people, same-sex couples, and families across the country.g

The coat is indeed fantastic, but who knew either woman was such a fashionista?

Japan is having its worst financial quarter in 35 years, which should serve as a chilling reminder to us all of what happens when you base your economy on large-eyed kitties and animated tentacle porn.

Just to show us how far things have slid, Rachel gave us a clip of the Japanese minister of finance, who seems to be focusing on improving his nation’s economy through boosting Midori sales.

Rachel also took a look at the birthday celebrations for dictator Kim Jong-Il. Not satisfied with running (and starving) North Korea, Kim Jong-Il also claims to have paranormal superpowers, perhaps in a bid to star in the most upsetting graphic novel ever.

In addition to having the power to “bend nature,” Kim Jong-Il claims to be supernaturally good at golf, which by extension means he is also able to have supernaturally boring conversations. If someone tries to seat you next to him at dinner, get out fast.

Rachel closed the segment with a note of frustration that Bill Clinton seemed to be finding a lot of reasons to go on talk shows just as his wife was taking her place in the international spotlight.

I like the thinking behind that sentiment, but I’m not sure Rachel needs to worry. I say this as a fan of both Clintons, but I’m guessing Hillary is happy that Bill is keeping himself busy and in front of cameras while she’s away.

In the “GOP in Exile” segment, Rachel took a look at the fact that we still (!) don’t quite have a second Senator from Minnesota. And we discovered that in addition to her Ph. D from Oxford, Dr. Maddow can kick your ass at quoting song lyrics from the 80’s.

The senior (and only) Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar stopped in to talk about her extra workload and challenge those rat bastards who made “New in Town” to an axe fight.

In the “Ms. Information” segment, we learned that Congressman Eric Cantor’s office is getting all naughty again. Scant days after sending out a Blagojian union-mocking film clip, they sent out a kickass rebel video showing how rockin’ House Republicans are for refusing to vote for the stimulus bill. The soundtrack to the video is the Aerosmith song “Back in the Saddle.”

I was going to make more fun of this Republican Rocker posing, but now that I think about it, the House Republican refusal to vote for the stimulus bill is indeed quite a bit like young fresh teenage rebellion: They threw a loud door-slamming tantrum but still totally had to clean up their rooms before Aunt Millie came over.

Anyway, monster Aerosmith fan Congressman Eric Cantor has made a lot of chin music in the past about keeping our airwaves decent. Sample lyrics from “Back in the Saddle” include:

“Peelin off my boots and chaps/I’m saddle sore/Four bits gets you time in the racks/I scream for more,” and “I’m riding, I’m loading up my pistol/ I’m riding, I really got a fistful.”

You know, their gift for tender metaphor is really underappreciated.

This seems to be part of a decades-long syndrome of Republican leaders failing to read anything but the title of the roof-raising songs they so enjoy.

For example, during the 80’s this syndrome led many Republicans to the disastrous conclusion that “Born in the USA” would be the perfect choice for an upbeat rally ‘round the flag tune.

Now that we have identified Republican Title Syndrome, it’s time to make use of it.

I will personally fly to your home state and buy you a drink if you can convince Sarah Palin to use Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” or Missy Elliott’s “Work It” as a campaign theme song in 2012.

If you can get her to use “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, I will throw in dinner.

Yes, of course we’re going to talk about Afghanistan. Nobody gets an evening off from Afghanistan until you’ve cleaned up for Aunt Millie. President Obama’s decision on sending new forces to the region seems to be taking much longer than anyone expected, which, assuming lots of thinking indicates some overall re-thinking, may be a good thing.

McClatchy News Chief Pentagon Correspondent Nancy Youssef joined Rachel to talk about the problems with having two wars at once and look at our options, which with luck will at some point include something other than staying in Afghanistan until we have been completely sucked dry of resources and have to switch to a kitty-and-tentacle economy.

Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff joined Rachel for “Scrub. Rinse. Repeat.” Remember those enraging memos from the Bush Justice Department about how torture is legal? Well, the good news is it turns out that lawyers don’t get to just make stuff up.

According to an investigation by the Justice Department’s own Office of Professional Responsibility, it looks more and more like Bush administration officials told DOJ staffers what they wished the law said and then had them try to rearrange reality to suit. Which works great with genies, but less well with lawyers.

In a nutshell, this means that we may be a little closer to seeing some very satisfying trips to the slammer. Don’t worry, guys – there are some awesome rock and roll songs about being in jail.

Kent Jones was on the scene for the “Just Enough” segment. He brought a photo of one of the contestants for Russia’s Miss Atom crown that I really hope is a prank. If it isn’t, I’m pretty sure the inevitable calendar will cause people’s laugh-or-cry circuits to explode.

Just as I was about to write that there was not a ton of frivolity to be had in tonight’s show, Rachel introduced a new segment. She noted that she (rightly) tends to serve up a lot of stories that are heavy on pain, misery, and government skullduggery.

While it’s important to know when evil is afoot so we can try to head it off, it does mean that frequent TRMS viewers often have to lie down with cold compresses over their eyes between segments.

Thus Rachel brought us the “Cocktail Moment,” which is ostensibly a lighter look at the night’s top story, but is clearly just another brazen attempt to forward her monstrous agenda of vermouth deregulation. There’s even a martini right there in the graphic.

Please don’t be seduced. I have it on good authority that the Japanese finance minister’s Midori sex on the beach recipe is like 50% vermouth. See where that got him? Stand strong.

Until tomorrow, I wish you silver linings in all your clouds and kickass diplomatic linings in all of your coats.

It’s a good day for Hillary Clinton supporters. Clinton is officially the Secretary of State and Caroline Kennedy has taken her name out of consideration for the Senate. Kennedy, who for the most part has led a rather quiet life, made it known when Clinton got picked to work in the Obama administration that she wouldn’t mind being Clinton’s replacement.  The heat started real quick and some would say that Kennedy’s media offensive made things more difficult for her.

Why she dropped out is the topic of much speculation. Some say she’s worried about her uncle’s health. Others contend she stepped aside  because Gov. David Paterson wasn’t going to pick her (I’m willing to bet the folk pushing that theme never wanted Kennedy anyway).

So now New York is less one senator and there is no idea when Paterson is going to make a decision. On Tuesday he told NBC’s  Andrea Mitchell (who kept pushing the “you’ve picked Caroline” meme), that his choice would be announced either Friday or Saturday. I love the irony that an embattled governor from Illinois can make a Senate replacement choice, while the governor from New York seems to be caught in a media storm doing the same process.

I was against Kennedy  from the start. Unlike some, her money and lack of formal political experience were not the things that bothered me. Instead it was a sense that family dynasties in politics are slightly out of tune in a democracy.

Holder at the time of the pardon was Deputy Attorney General. Rich was an arms dealer who had illegal dealings with Iran.

Holder told senators Tuesday that that he regrets not studying the proposed pardon more before discussing it with President Bill Clinton. At the time, Holder said he was neutral, leaning toward supporting the pardon. But in hindsight he said he should have consulted with prosecutors and studied the issue more closely before making that statement.

Holder was appointed by President Clinton to Deputy Attorney General in 1997.  He has a strong LGBT rights record.

His nomination has the support of major civil rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Women’s Law Center.

In a 1999 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Holder called for LGBT inclusion in federal hate crime law, noting that currently the law “provides no coverage whatsoever for violent hate crimes committed because of bias based on the victim’s sexual orientation, gender or disability, and these crimes pose a serious problem for our nation.”

While Holder’s confirmation hearing was underway before the Judiciary Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was voting overwhelmingly for Hillary Rodham Clinton to become the next secretary of state.

The 16-1 approval by the committee paves the way for a full Senate vote after President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20.

During her confirmation hearing earlier this week ,Clinton said that if confirmed as Secretary of State she would review policies to see what could be changed to assist LGBT personnel at the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies. 

U.S. Foreign Service personnel – as well as civil service and contract employees – are required to serve a large portion of their careers at U.S. embassies and missions overseas.  However, the partners of LGBT personnel receive no assistance while accompanying employees on these mandatory assignments.  

Among many other obstacles, LGBT partners lack access to affordable health insurance coverage and resources for moving abroad.  

During overseas tours, employees’ partners do not receive assistance in obtaining a visa and lack access to employment opportunities, emergency evacuation, and embassy medical units, which all afforded to married heterosexual couples. 

During questioning at her confirmation hearing, Clinton was asked by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) about regulations that deny the same-sex partners of LGBT personnel the same rights as heterosexual spouses.

In saying she would review existing policies, Clinton noted that many foreign countries have already changed the policies to provide equal treatment for gay and lesbian staff of foreign affairs agencies.

The employee affinity group for the State Department, Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, said in a statement that it plans to present the incoming Secretary of State with a letter signed by over 2,000 current and former employees of the Department of State and other foreign affairs agencies requesting fairness for LBGT employees.

GLIFAA board members also met with members of President-elect Obama’s transition team at the Department of State in December.

GLIFAA President Michelle Schohn noted that gay U.S. diplomats and aid workers serve overseas “in some of the most dangerous locations, but continue to be denied equal treatment for their families.”

U.S. Foreign Service personnel – as well as civil service and contract employees – are required to serve a large portion of their careers at U.S. embassies and missions overseas.  However, the partners of  gay personnel receive no assistance while accompanying employees on these mandatory assignments.

Among many other obstacles, gay partners lack access to affordable health insurance coverage and resources for moving abroad.

During overseas tours, employees’ partners do not receive assistance in obtaining a visa and lack access to employment opportunities, emergency evacuation, and embassy medical units, all afforded to married, heterosexual couples.

Former U.S. Ambassador Michael Guest, who resigned in protest in 2007, was the highest profile Foreign Service Officer to leave the State Department due to its failure to redress inequalities in the treatment between heterosexual spouses and same-sex partners.

Guest became the first openly gay ambassador confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2001 and earned a number of awards and accolades during his 26 years in the Foreign Service.

Clinton gave a polished performance Tuesday, offering well-prepared answers to questions on crises and trouble spots including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran, Cuba and Afghanistan. She offered few details about how she and Obama would handle those problems, except to say that in many cases they would offer a fresh approach after eight years of President George W. Bush.

She also deflected controversy as she dealt with uncomfortable questions about the international fundraising of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Her confirmation as secretary of state is not in doubt, and she could be on the job as soon as President-elect Barack Obama’s first full day in office.

Caroline Kennedy is widely believed to be the frontrunner but Paterson also is said to be considering New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo who has been touted as a possible challenger to Peterson’s re-election bid for the governorship.

Other names that have come up include openly gay Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell who introduced a gay marriage bill in 2007 in the legislature and shepherded it to passage in the house. The GOP-controlled Senate refused to consider the bill.

O’Donnell, who is the brother of lesbian celebrity Rosie O’Donnell, has said he will introduce the bill in the new session.

O’Donnell has confirmed he has been approached by Paterson and met with the governor on Christmas eve for a very “informal” discussion. But he also said that he did not approach the governor and is not actively campaigning for the Senate appointment.

O’Donnell was the first openly gay man elected to the Assembly. If he were appointed to replace Clinton he would be the first openly gay US senator.

Paterson said that 15 contenders are interested in the job and he’s already spoken to or interviewed about 10.

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi of Long Island and representatives Carolyn Maloney, Steve Israel, Jerrold Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand and Brian Higgins are reportedly among the 15.

Paterson said he will not make an appointment until Clinton is confirmed as Secretary of State.

Kennedy has the support of the vast family’s political machine and is believed to be the favorite of President-elect Barrack Obama, although he has not publicly voiced an opinion. Kennedy, along with her uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy, was an early supporter of Obama.

Paterson said for the first time Thursday that Caroline Kennedy’s lack of legislative experience is a “minus” to her qualifications as a possible appointee to the  Senate.

The governor also said Kennedy has many positives despite never holding elective office.

“Caroline Kennedy obviously does have a tremendous relationship with [President-elect Barack Obama] that’s certainly a plus,” Paterson said. “She does not have much political, I mean, legislative experience, which is a minus.”

Kennedy is on record as supporting marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.

I was so ready for 2008 to be finished I couldn’t even be bothered to watch the clock strike 12 (was asleep by 11). The recently departed year  was a bit of a slog and the folk over at JibJab do a good job of chronicling a few low-lights.

I’m always leery of end of the year posts. Mainly because history is too messy for easy summations, no matter how much we would like our past to follow some easy narrative. However, I enjoy freelance employment so when the boss says do something about ‘08, I humbly abide.

2008 for all of its sloppiness will be remembered, if we are keeping our eyes stateside, for two things: Barack Obama and same sex marriage. The guy with the funny name and big ears was a long shot this time last year and the good people of Iowa (Happy New Year wishes to the Hamer family!) gave him his first big boost toward the nomination. One of the most under-reported themes this election season is that Obama only became a viable candidate for black voters when Hawkeye whites voted for him.  Before that Hillary Clinton (whose campaign wasn’t prepared for anything beyond Super Tuesday) had a lock on black votes.

Gay marriage took a beating this year. Citizens in Arizona, California, and Florida all said no to same-sex marriage. The good people of Arkansas put a nix on gays and lesbians from adopting (this is being fought in the courts). I guess a loving home isn’t as important as being shuttled between foster homes.

The defeat in California was especially galling and we all have argued about what happened and the impact, or lack thereof,  of the black vote in the defeat of marriage rights. Don’t worry. No rehash from me. Mainly because it is boring and  everything has been said a zillion times. Through all the noise though people of good will always find a way to step beyond the rhetoric of blame and recrimination.

And folks of good will are going to need each other even more as 2009 unfolds because the messes of 2008 need fixing.