Tony Jones of New Christians ponders why the selection of Gene Robinson has gotten so much less press coverage than the pick of Rick Warren. He speculates that it’s because gay groups put pressure on the media. http://blog.beliefnet.com/tonyjones/2009/01/rick-warren-vs-gene-robinson.html
That’s probably partly true. The press reacts to ruckus. Gay groups made one. Strangely, conservative groups have not made nearly as much noise about Robinson. I don’t think it’s that they’re any more peaceful or tolerant. I suspect it’s just because Robinson came second in the cycle. After mocking liberals for their reaction to Warren, how could conservatives then attack Obama for inviting Robinson?

I bet the same thing would have happened in reverse: if Robinson had been appointed to give the invocation, there would have been howls of protest from the right and liberals would have defended the decision. When, a few days later, he picked Warren, liberals would likely have been much more quiet about Rick Warren than they have been.
If it’s true that Obama’s folks planned this sequencing all along, that’s pretty shrewd, eh?