Re: US Gov't drops defense of anti-gay marriage law
=/= Excerpt from commenter at: Towleroad
This sort of major policy decision doesn't get made on the spur of the moment. There were obviously quiet discussions going on for some months in advance at Justice and the White House. The political sequencing is telling: the Administration pursued repeal of DADT first, then dropped the hammer on DOMA. The repeal of DADT was arguably easier and (somewhat) less contentious than the repeal of DOMA. Once DADT fell, the Administration no longer had any reason to pay lip service to DOMA. Indeed, the repeal of DADT has substantially weakened DOMA. Had they pursued DOMA first or both DOMA and DADT simultaneously, it's very likely that the outcome would have been a setback. It appears to me that all the while that Obama was being bashed over his apparent weakness on DADT and DOMA, he was playing his cards close to his chest. Once gays can serve openly in the military, how will gay servicemembers be told that they can't marry? This is why Republicans have so strenuously resisted repealing DADT. And now the President has outfoxed them.
