A Stitch in Haste

On the one hand:

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

On the other hand:

On Wednesday, CTV reported that a senior member of Obama's campaign called the Canadian government within the last month — saying that when Senator Obama talks about opting out of the free trade deal, the Canadian government shouldn't worry. The operative said it was just campaign rhetoric not to be taken seriously.

The Obama campaign told CTV late Thursday night that no message was passed to the Canadian government that suggests that Obama does not mean what he says about opting out of NAFTA if it is not renegotiated.

However, the Obama camp did not respond to repeated questions from CTV on reports that a conversation on this matter was held between Obama's senior economic adviser — Austan Goolsbee — and the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago.

I don't care if people think Barack Obama is the second coming of Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy or Abraham Lincoln. He is an actively campaigning politician in a tight race. And the only unvarying truth about actively campaigning politicians in tight races is that they will say anything, absolutely anything, to a single-issue crowd to curry their favor.

Gays, particularly gay Democrats, got "Clintoned" once (twice in fact). I think they're smart enough not to get "Clintoned" again by believing anything Hillary says about gay rights. Whether they are smart enough not to get Clintoned again by believing anything Obama says about gay rights remains to be seen.

(Note: I am not passing judgment about those who support, or oppose for that matter, Obama as a "whole candidate" with a whole platform. I'm merely referring to giving especial credence to anything he says about gay rights to a gay audience.)