Former RNC Chairman Supports Gay Marriage--Why Not Barack Obama?

Ken Mehlman's decision to come out of the closet and announce that he is gay should be applauded. So should his support for gay marriage.

It can not have been easy for Mehlman, working as Karl Rove's lad in George Bush's 2004 presidential campaign, and then as chairman of the Republican Party, at a time when the specter of gay marriage was being used to frighten middle America. Dividing one's personality like that isn't healthy, and must have brought Mehlman considerable misery. So I'm happy for Ken. He was always a sincere "big tent" Republican who knew the demographics and wanted the GOP to welcome blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Muslims, and other minorities. So, to their credit, were Rove and Bush. Now that Mehlman has joined Ted Olsen and a steadily increasing number of Americans in support of gay marriage, maybe other Republicans, like the former president, will one day find the courage to join them.

And who knows? Even President Audacity might find the strength to say what he surely believes, instead of shamefully mumbling his objections.

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