Marriage on Both Sides of the Potomac

Gentlemen, start your pandering. GOP leaders in the Senate are cozying up to the bigot brigade again by promising a vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment in the first week of June. This led to some of the more exciting political news of last week, when Russ Feingold stomped out of Arlen Spector's Judiciary Committee meeting where the FMA was reported to the floor. Despite the theatrics, the brigadeers are not particularly happy. The WashTimes quoted one rightwing nutcase source who criticized the President's engagement on the issue:

It's not that we are demanding this, but when the First Lady is disparaging the issue, and when the Vice President lets stand unrebutted Mary Cheney's claims, we think some demonstration of presidential leadership is warranted -- and overdue.

The latter comment alludes, of course, to the Veep's long "missing" lesbian daughter, who made the rounds a week ago shilling for her new book, which has her agreeing with Al Gore on the FMA. Former HRC head Elizabeth Birch crowed, but most handicappers don't give the federal legislation much of a shot anyway. Boy, that's sure to piss off Donald Wildmon and his million mothers more than a big opening weekend for the Da Vinci Code.

Meanwhile, back in Virginy, legions gird for battle over this Fall's referendum on a state constitutional amendment. Despite heartwarming profiles of local homos in the regional press, observers in the Old Dominion think the powerfully worded SuperDOMA will pass by a large margin. I'm not counting on any intervention by activist judges, as happened last week in another "New South" state, either. In any event, the forecast for November calls for plenty of fear and loathing.