Maine allows same-sex marriage -- Gibbs sounds like Miss California

Perhaps not wanting to incur the wrath of Perez Hilton, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs deflected questions on gay marriage today.

Gibbs was asked by ABC's Jake Tapper if President Obama had any reaction to the news that Maine had become the fifth state to allow same-sex marriage.

"No, I think the president's position on same-sex marriage is -- has been talked about and discussed," Gibbs curtly replied.

"He opposes same-sex marriage?" Tapper asked.

"He supports civil unions," Gibbs said, not really answering the question.

Follow up

"Does that mean that he's going to say or do anything against what the citizens of Maine did -- did today?" Tapper followed.

"Not that I'm aware of," Gibbs said. "I think the president believes this is an issue that's best addressed by the states."

There she is

If Gibbs was wearing a swimsuit or a sparkly gown, you could say he looked like Miss California.

As you recall, Carrie Prejean said she didn't support gay marriage. And she said, albeit not as articulately as Gibbs, that it's a states rights issue.

Well, she said we live in a country "where you can choose." And, you can only choose if you go to a state that allows for same-sex marriage.

Specifically, she said, "Well I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage."

Stretch

Is it a stretch? Sure. Had Gibbs mentioned the words "opposite marriage" then there would be no doubt.

Robert Schlesinger over at US News & World Report wrote an interesting piece a couple days ago where he noticed the same thing: the positions are similar.

I was at a, err, opposite-sex wedding over the weekend when one of the guests asked me, presumably as the member of the MSM on hand, why Carrie Prejean, Miss California, gets lambasted for being anti-gay marriage, while Barack Obama, the president of the United States, gets a free pass while having essentially the same position.

The answer lies in tone and nuance.

It is true that Obama's position is that marriage is "between a man and a woman" and that he is "not in favor of gay marriage." That said, he articulately advocates for the rights of gay couples on things like hospital visitation.

Schlesinger further says that some people may be giving him a "pass" on this issue as it isn't "politically viable" to support gay marriage. That could be, but that mood could be changing.

Maine

He could very well do what Maine Governor John Baldacci did. While signing the bill today, Baldacci announced he had a change of heart.

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Baldacci said. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."

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