Greg Sargent asks the questions:
That seems to be one of the core political questions in the wake of the overturning of Proposition 8. How can the president continue opposing gay marriage while supporting the decision to strike down Prop 8, on the grounds that it's "discriminatory," as the White House said in a statement last night?
Making it more dicey, the White House statement also said that the president continues to push for "full equality" for gay and lesbian couples. How can that not include support for gay marriage?
The answers are obvious. The president can't continue to hold incompatible positions. Full equality means full equality. Incremental equality is discriminatory.
Sargent links to Michael Shear, who points out that even though the president says he wants to repeal DOMA, he isn't actively pursuing it, and is going along with Congressional leaders who use the tired excuse of political realities. Once again, it's a question of whether or not a president and Congressional leaders actively try to change those political realities.
Pam Spaulding pulls no punches:
Yes, we have a biracial constitutional law scholar for a President who still believes that "god is in the mix" and that separate is equal when it comes to marriage. As we noted earlier, with DOMA cases knocking at the DOJ's door, it's going to be put up or shut up (and shut the wallet by a lot of LGBTs) very soon.
Should also make it interesting for the next White House briefing. Do you think that Robert Gibbs will call on The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld and get someone from the WH on the freaking record?
Wednesday was a great moment in the history of civil rights in this country. But full equality is still but a dream on the horizon, and it remains unclear how far this president will go to help make that dream a reality.
