03.03.09 Briefing
From the Desk of STeve Elliott

Obama Fully Out Of The Closet On Homosexual Rights

Over the past few days, Barack Obama has come out very strongly in favor of homosexual rights, even using a reference to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount as justification for his position.

He most clearly articulated the position last Thursday in an open letter on LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual) equality. You can read that here. Interestingly, he only used the abbreviation LGBT and never in the letter articulates those "bisexual" or "transsexual." In the letter, he states his strong support of LGBT rights, including urging states "to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws." He endorses civil unions and pledges to use the "bully pulpit" to push for these changes

Obama tries to draw a bright line distinction between "homosexual marriage" (which he says he doesn't "believe in") and "civil unions" (which he heartily endorses. It is a distinction without a difference since Obama's civil unions would convey all the rights and privileges of marriage -- including full adoption rights. It sounds entirely Clintonesque to me (Bill Clinton, that is).

On Sunday Obama used the Bible to justify these positions:
"I don't think it should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans. That's my view."

Read CNSNews' excellent analysis of this here.

Duncan Hunter Blasts DHS's Bogus Virtual Fence
Rep. Hunter came out swinging today, blasting DHS for continuing to support its current non-fence strategy while it admits the virtual fence test was a failure. Read Hunter's column here. Hunter states:
Securing the border is no easy task, but it is certainly not as difficult as DHS wants us to believe. The only thing holding DHS back from building the infrastructure that was originally required under the Secure Fence Act is DHS itself.

Grassfire is supporting Hunter's "REinstated the Secure Fence Act" bill. We are up to 85,000 signers in just over a week. Go here to sign.

New Electoral Map In November?
Michael Barone is suggesting that the red state-blue state map that has become the pattern of presidential politics the last few cycles is about to become obsolete. The Red-Blue state theory suggests that there are just a few states that are really in play and will decide the election -- like OH, FL, PA, etc. But Barone says a McCain-Obama matchup would bring many states into play.

Not sure I agree, but it is interesting and worth considering. Barone's theory may depend on McCain's strategy. If he picks a running mate from the south designed to secure the base, we may have a Red-Blue map repeat.

Super Tuesday #2--the End of the Clinton era?
Polls are showing Obama and Clinton within the margin of error in both Ohio and Texas. These contests are likely to be decided by old-fashioned get-out-the-vote efforts, says the NYTimes. We should expect Obama to win if we are to learn anything from the other primaries. The more time Obama has to campaign, the better he does. If these primaries were delayed another week, Obama would only stretch his lead.

Tuesday evening's results could mark the end of the Clinton era and if so it will be an interesting moment for conservatives who have been bracing for a seemingly inevitable Hillary march to November. Sixteen years after it began, the Clinton's dominance could be over. But does Obama represent an even more significant threat to our values?

On the web today:

Obama: I pray to Jesus
NYTimes highlights McCain's inconsistencies