The Day After - Sorry about my incorrect tally yesterday (the hazards of instant punditry). The FMA failed cloture by 12 votes, not ten.

So the homos are crowing, and the bigot brigade is eating crow this morning. (The Prez too.) The media is trying to sort out "what it all means," especially for November. Social conservatives say they've only lost the first small battle in a 10-year fight, but given the progress of gays in last ten years, time is not on the side of FMA supporters. In fact, regardless of the outcome of this year's election, I predict they will never again enjoy conditions this favorable for their crusade. The widely-reported "backlash" against the Lawrence Supreme Court decision and especially the Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge - probably never as great as activists on both sides claimed - will only diminish with time.

True, the homo haters made progress in state battles this Spring, and might garner a few more victories on the margins in November by turning out a couple of embattled moderates or passing a couple of DOMAs. But already the electorate is wondering if gays are really worth all the fear and loathing. Society is moving on. In my humble opinion, yesterday's Senate vote closes a chapter on the tumultuous period that began last Summer with SCOTUS's sodomy repeal.

The battles ahead, while important, are smaller, incrementalist. I'm looking forward to taking back some of the territory we lost in Virginia and elsewhere while making strides in other fields. But for the moment, we should all relax and savor the victory.