OBAMA KICKS THE CAN

NEW YORK CITY -- President Barack Obama did not reverse course and endorse the right of gay couples to marry during a high-profile LGBT fundraising event Thursday night.
He expressed support for the idea that the state of New York should have the power to codify marriage for same-sex couples. But he did not personally endorse the pending New York bill -- which is nearing passage in the statehouse -- or same-sex marriage itself.
The crowd of 600-plus attendees didn't jeer Obama's caution ... that much. Rather, cordial applause and a shared sense of accomplishment seemed to be the order of the night at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
Obama is, objectively, the most influential president LGBT citizens have ever had. And while his administration has experienced no shortage of LGBT-related tensions -- whether in private meetings or from activists handcuffed to the White House gates -- Thursday night was spent discussing past accomplishments and hinting at future breakthroughs.
"Yes we have more work to do. Yes we have more progress to make. Yes I expect continued impatience with me on occasion," said the president. "With your help, if you keep up the fight, if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story."
"We are going to lead a new generation to a brighter future," he concluded. "And I will be standing there right there with you."
In a 25-minute address before both grey-bearded and baby-faced donors and activists, Obama praised vocal LGBT activism and offered his ear in return. He ran through his list of achievements -- extending hospital visitation rights to gay couples, a comprehensive national AIDS strategy, the ending of Don't Ask Don't Tell, to name a few -- and pledged a commitment to a " simple American value, the notion that "we are all created equal."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/23/obama-punts-same-sex-marriage-at-lgbt-fundraiser_n_883615.html

I guess it’s better than kicking the bucket, or kicking the light fantastic, but really?  You can’t do more with this issue?  Why does everything have to be a debate?  Will we ever make a decision and move on.  It seems to me the people we put in office just can’t seem to make things happen.  We would not put up with this complacency from our power company, our grocer or our Doctor.  Why do we put up with it from our politicians?  Where is the quality control in Washington?