Gay Representative, Former Presidents Among Honorary Inauguration Co-Chairs

The Presidential Inaugural Committee has released a list of the honorary co-chairs for Barack Obama's inauguration. The group includes former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter; Senators Dick Durbin, Dick Lugar and Claire McCaskill; and well known figures such as General Colin Powell, who endorsed Obama, and the president-elect's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng.

(AP)

Also on the list is openly gay Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin. Obama has taken heat from gay groups for inviting Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren, who backed California Proposition 8 outlawing gay marriage, to give the inaugural invocation. As noted below, another gay representative, Barney Frank, called the choice of Warren a mistake.

Other co-chairs include basketball coach Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama's brother, and Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son. The Committee says the co-chairs will "help lead" the inaugural activities, and the release stresses the ideological diversity of the group, saying the selection are in keeping with "an inclusive and bipartisan" inauguration. A full list is below.

Honorary Co-Chairs for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration:

President Jimmy Carter
President George H. W. Bush
President William J. Clinton
Mayor Adrian Fenty
Senator Dick Durbin
Senator Dick Lugar
Senator Claire McCaskill
Representative Tammy Baldwin
Representative Artur Davis
Representative Ray Lahood
Representative Linda Sánchez
General Colin Powell
Hunter and Kathleen Biden
Craig Robinson
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng

Click Here For All Of CBSNews.com's Special Inauguration Coverage

Brian Montopoli

Brian Montopoli is the national reporter and political analyst for CBSNews.com.

Twitter Facebook

More from CBS News