At Tuesday's White House briefing, Robert Gibbs fielded several questions about the status of the repeal of DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act), which he said, “given the current makeup of the Congress,” would be “inordinately challenging.”
Given President Obama's recent remarks about his “evolving” opinion on same-sex marriage, and the fact that he used last year's State of the Union address to promise the repeal of DADT, I asked Gibbs if the President might address the DOMA repeal, and his personal views on gay marriage, at this year's SOTU.
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Rather than make an obviously empty promise to repeal DOMA, or even to hold a symbolic vote (that would, let's be honest here, put many Democrats in a tough spot, let alone Republicans), the President could speak honestly about his own struggle with the issue of same-sex marriage, and the ideas and stories that have influenced his personal feelings on the matter. In doing so, he would also bring into stark relief the fact that, even after the landmark repeal of DADT, equality under the law is still outside the grasp of many Americans.
It's true that, as it stands, there seems to be little that can be done to change the law, but an orator of President Obama's considerable skill could definitely change a few minds.
