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Obama hates gays like Bush and Mitt Romney??? But he doesn't want to admit it cuz it will cost him a few vote???
Obama is drawing scrutiny for vague gay-nuptial stand by Julie Pace - May. 7, 2012 11:12 PM Associated Press WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's election-year vagueness on gay marriage is coming under fresh scrutiny. Education Secretary Arne Duncan broke ranks with the White House on Monday, stating his unequivocal support for same-sex marriage one day after Vice President Joe Biden suggested that he supported gay marriage, as well. Obama aides worked to manage any political fallout. They said the back-to-back remarks by two top administration officials represented personal viewpoints and were not part of a coordinated effort to lay groundwork for a shift in the president's position. The aides also tried to use the latest flare-up in the gay-marriage debate to shine a light on GOP rival Mitt Romney's history of equivocating on some gay-rights issues, an attempt to turn a potential political problem into an opportunity. Obama, who supports most gay rights, has stopped short of backing gay marriage. Without clarification, he has said for the past year and a half that his personal views on the matter are "evolving." The White House held firm on Monday to that position, which polls indicate puts the president increasingly at odds with his party and the majority of Americans on gay marriage. But with Biden's and Duncan's comments reinvigorating the debate, Obama is likely to face renewed pressure to clarify his views ahead of the November election. Throughout his first term, he has sought to walk a fine line on same-sex marriage. He is trying to satisfy rank-and-file Democrats by supporting a range of gay-rights issues without alienating crucial independent voters who could be turned off by the emotional social issue. The president's aides acknowledge that his position can be confusing. In states where gay marriage already is legal, the president says married gay couples should have the same rights as married straight couples. But he does not publicly support the right of gay couples to marry in the first place. Duncan, a longtime friend of the president as well as a member of his Cabinet, made clear Monday that his position on gay marriage is not in lockstep with the White House. Asked in a television interview whether he believes gay couples should legally be allowed to marry, Duncan said simply, "Yes, I do." His comments followed Biden's assertion Sunday that he was "absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying one another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties." Obama aides said Duncan was speaking about his personal views on the issue and was not under orders from the White House or the campaign to take the president's position. As for Biden, White House and campaign officials said the vice president's remarks were no different from what he and Obama have said in the past. "They were entirely consistent with the president's position, which is that couples who are married, whether they are gay or heterosexual, couples are entitled to the very same rights and very same liberties," said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign. The latest political dustup over gay marriage came just before North Carolina voters were to weigh in on a ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage in that state. Obama opposes the ban, as does former President Bill Clinton, who has recorded automated phone calls ahead of the vote. Obama was heading on Tuesday for Albany, N.Y., where lawmakers voted last year to approve gay marriage in that state. Romney favors a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. |