Rachel !!

Announcement in the Huffington Post:

Rachel Maddow will receive an award named after Walter Cronkite.

The Interfaith Alliance announced Monday that it would award its 2010 Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom award to the MSNBC anchor in honor of her work covering religion and politics. Maddow will receive the award alongside Chautaqua Institution Department of Religion Director Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell.

The award, which will be presented at a gala dinner in New York in October, "recognizes individuals who courageously promote democratic values, defend religious freedom and reinvigorate informed civic participation," according to the announcement. Cronkite served as Honorary Chairman of the Interfaith Alliance until his death last year.

It helps that I agree in principle on every issue that Rachel discusses. It also helps that she is intelligent, goes for the deeper principle involved, uses reason and evidence to draw conclusions -- and in addition is smart, just sassy enough to be interesting, and -- last but not least -- does credit to the cause of recognizing that gay and lesbian folks can excel in roles where that is not relevant but also neither hidden nor exploited.

Congratulations, Rachel. Well deserved.

Ralph