The Gist

Obama Says No To CA Ballot Measure

This really is consistent with what Barack Obama has said regarding anti-gay marriage ballot measures and surely the federal marriage amendment, but because Obama has also said that marriage should be left to "the states" the McCain campaign (along with the writer of the Sacramento Bee article) is trying to position it as a flip-flop: If it should be left to the states why not support whatever the people decide in a ballot measure?

That is one of the weaknesses in the Democratic "states right" argument on marriage -- Hillary Clinton had the same position as well -- though I suppose one could argue that the state's highest court did decide and, so, it should now be left alone. Whatever, it's a good thing that Obama, who only a couple of weeks ago called marriage something between "a man and a woman," has come out clearly against the measure, joining California's Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzengger, a moderate to whom one would think McCain would rather be attached, and leaving McCain looking, once again, closer to George Bush and his ilk.