Barack, Get Yourself To West Hollywood

When Ted Olson, who argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court, took the case alleging that Prop. 8 violates equal protection laws and that same-sex couples have a Constitutional right to be married, that's one thing. When Republicans like Meghan McCain and Steve Schmidt make pronouncements in favor of gay marriage, it's another. But when Dick Cheney offers his support, and nobody bats an eyelash because he's supported gay marriage since 2004, basically, the political world should take notice.

"I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," replied the former V.P. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that the historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. ... But I don't have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that."

Obviously, if he didn't have direct personal knowledge of gay relationships because of a member of his family, he probably wouldn't have the same position. And you can also see that in Bill Clinton's answer about gay marriage late last week. For context, Clinton signed DOMA and reportedly told John Kerry to endorse local bans against gay marriage and even the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Asked about same-sex marriages, Bush defended the "sacred" institution of wedlock between a man and a woman. Clinton said that the more he knows gay people, the more he thinks their relationships "should be up to them."

Barack Obama needs to talk to some gay Americans. Certainly that would be preferable to talking to the consultants that have him paralyzed with fear over extending civil rights to homosexuals.

Of course, one recognizes that Clinton and Cheney are not in office right now.

...Obama goes out on a limb, reiterates for the 500th time a promise to end the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Which he could do by putting a moratorium on firing soldiers today.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.