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It's the right thing to do, but it's also a shrewd political move.

Yeah!

Although Joe Biden forced the issue.

The announcement comes days after Vice President Joe Biden’s comments that he was "absolutely comfortable" with gay marriage put new pressure on Obama to clarify his position on the issue.

To paraphrase a quote of President Obama, " He actly very stupidly." This was an extremely dumb move politically. He endangers votes of independent voters in several swing states. He apparently failed to remember that the number of States where voters have approved same sex marriage - "0"

No, he did not actly stupidly. If he loses indie voters, it will be over the economy. All those disenchanted young voters who were going to sit at home watching Glee reruns on Election Night will be back in his corner, though:-) Joking, sort of.

It is risky, but smart politics is risky. For one thing, the Power Elite that already favors Obama, is also pro-gay. When former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein gets appointed director of the all-gay civil rights organization the Human Rights Campaign, you get an idea where the Establishment is going on this issue. That doesn't mean all the rednecks in the heartland changing their constitutions to exclude gay people is a negligible consideration, it just means they are merely part of the calculus. The other components include minority (black and Hispanic) voters, even the most stridently anti-gay of whom will still swing behind Obama. I'm not saying he won't lose some of them, but he will keep most of them, including - and this is significant - a lot of those minorities who voted FOR amendments to ban gay marriage.

Romney will milk this for all it's worth, but that might not be much when you consider that almost every homophobe or gay-squeamish fundie not already in his camp would be voting for him anyway, while wearing nose-pinchers. There may be some fence-sitters who hop right behind Romney over this, but I just don't see it as being nearly as powerful an issue as it was in 2004.

But it might matter. I guess we'll see. I think it's a calculated move, but I think every move Obama has made in the past 8 or 10 years has been pretty masterfully calculated. I can't think of anything he's done that I'd call stupid, or reckless. Unprincipled in many instances (executive powers, financial markets deregulation, etc.) but at least this time, his principles are in line with what's right. Like I said, we'll see if it costs him. My bet (not worth much) is it won't.

EDIT: I'd also point out that the popular rejection of gay marriage is probably not a strong indicator of how this otherwise unsurprising admission of this particular President will affect his candidacy. That was a single issue referendum in the states where it was an issue. There are lots of other things for voters to consider when November rolls around, and people who don't like his stand on gay marriage might still find him more convincing as a leader than Romney, whose role as obsequious shill for the super rich is ever more transparent.

Well said, Hildegard. Romney and the GOP (as if they're separate, and in many ways they are--ask Dick Lugar, heh) may want to make this a, if not the, defining issue of the campaign, but that would be a huge miscalculation. It will bore most who want to hear about issues that should be issues (economy, etc.) and their showboating on this will really only show how hateful, divisive, and un-Christian they are. How can they justify their position with logic or explanation? It's just an appeal toward prejudice. (Did you hear John Danforth today on NPR?)

And Romney, maybe the greatest flip-flop artist of all time, is calling this an Obama flip-flop, despite everyone knowing that Obama made clear years ago that his position was "evolving." A dictionary would help them sort that out.

This will energize the lackluster on the left more than it will turn away bigoted voters who don't already despise Obama for being an intelligent, black Democrat.

I don't think in political terms, that this will be a big deal by election time. Of course, I've been wrong before.

'Bout damn time.

Yet another Romney "was for it before he was against it." But in this case he's going in the opposite direction to the rest of the country, as Nate Silver mentioned on NPR today. People may change from being against to being for gay marriages, but almost never do they backpedal in the ass-backwards direction to the past like Romney is doing.

He needs some cheesy grits right now.

I'm a little surprised Romney admitted, much less 'apologized' for, his gay bashing in high school. I guess there were too many witnesses and too many similar 'pranks' for him to be able to deny that it happened.

From attorney Phillip Maxwell, a former classmate:

“Mitt was a prankster, there’s no doubt about it. This thing with Lauber wasn’t a prank. This was, well, as a lawyer, it was an assault. It was an assault and a battery. And I’m sure that John Lauber carried it with him for the rest of his life,” Maxwell said to CBS News, which adds that Romney’s so-called “pranks” were remembered “as cruel, insensitive or frightening to the victims.”

I'm a little surprised Romney admitted, much less 'apologized' for, his gay bashing in high school. I guess there were too many witnesses and too many similar 'pranks' for him to be able to deny that it happened.

I'm not. Let's not forget that Bush/Cheney took the 2004 election essentially on a "We hate homos, how about you?" platform. NPR did a piece this morning on changing attitudes that I found interesting.

As discriminated minorities mainstream into society, reality sets in. Folks is folks and one's labels quickly become irrelevant as individual relationships are formed. Thankfully the fear factor seems to be declining in regards to homosexuality and politics can revert to important issues.......like saving my pension from robber barons.

Yes, there was one interesting aspect of that report for me too. 'Generational replacement' seemed to improve positive attitudes toward same sex marriage in every group of respondents except Republicans.

No, the Republicans will continue to use the tried and true bait and switch tactic that has served them so well in the past.

Preach to the ignorant masses that Republicans will protect your family values from the godless queers and abortionists. Then, while you're not looking, they'll steal yer cookies.