Quote For the Day

"The Obama Administration stumbled badly in defending the federal anti-marriage law, so-called "DOMA," despite his repeated campaign promises to end this federal discrimination against married gay couples and their loved ones. It is appalling to see the Obama Justice Department out-Bushing the Bush administration in its anti-gay arguments to shore up a massively unjust law that President Obama pledged to undo."

Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry

That is putting it mildly. By his actions, President Obama has shown himself to be a liar and a coward.

John Avavosis of AmericaBlog is covering this story in great detail. For those who believe that the Obama administartion has no choice but to defend the law, John introduces us to a man who knows the score.

NOTE FROM JOHN [Arovosis]: I'm happy to introduce Richard Socarides, a long time friend, former Hill staffer, and then former top aide to President Clinton, who will be writing for us from time to time on a variety of issues.

The Choice to Defend DOMA, and Its Consequencesby Richard Socarides.

Like many other gay people who support the president, and as someone who had hoped he would be a presidential-sized champion of gay civil rights from the start, I was disturbed by his administration’s brief defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), filed late last week, in opposition to our full equality. It had such a buckshot approach to it, a veritable kitchen sink of anti-gay legal theories, that it seemed expressly designed to inflict maximal damage to our rights. Instead of making nuanced arguments which took into account the president’s oft-stated support for repealing DOMA – a law he has called “abhorrent” – the brief seemed to embrace DOMA and all its horrific consequences.

Read the whole thing here. It is deeply disturbing.