Markos makes an excellent point, that goes far beyond the Warren controversy.
Obama wouldn't be out there making perhaps the strongest statement in support of gays and lesbians by a president (though he's still not technically one, I know) if it wasn't for the sturm and drang this choice generated. It is precisely this backlash that has forced Obama to clearly affirm his commitment to equality. And it will be continued pressure that will force him to do the right thing on the issue.First off, Markos is correct. The sad lesson we're learning is that we're not going to get squat, any of us, gay or straight, if we don't beat the crap out of our elected officials on a regular basis.
If we shut up, he'll take the path of least resistance. And that path of least resistance is kowtowing to the conservative media, the clueless punditocracy, and bigots like Warren.
That leads to the larger reason I'm so upset with Obama over this decision. I actually trusted the guy. I know, stupid me. I often see our readers writing in the comments that they can't believe I'm upset about one thing or another that I just read in the paper, and my readers berate me for my political naiveté. It's not that I'm naive. It's that for all of the bad news we seem to report on this blog (and I know, it gets heavy at times), I'm actually quite the optimist when it comes to politics. When someone like Obama tells me he's going to be different, I believe him. When he says he's going to challenge homophobia, even in his own community, I believe him. Now I believe a little bit less. Now I'm waiting to see when rhetoric becomes reality.
