We could be wrong, but it appears Tony Snow defended Condi Rice for recognizing the mother of a new White House appointee’s gay partner as his “mother-in-law.” (h/t AMERICAblog)
Could this be the way it starts? Subtle, implicit recognition of gay rights preceding something more formal? Was this a top-down decision? Or did Tony Snow and Condi Rice just accidentally let slip a little human compassion, despite the best efforts of their religious-right taskmasters to keep the country shrouded in a veil of hate….
AMERICAblog:
White House spokesman Tony Snow just said the following at today’s White House press briefing:
REPORTER: At the swearing in of Mark Dybul as an AIDS ambassador, Secretary of State Rice referred to the mother of a gay partner as “mother in law,” and my question, how does this adhere to the President’s belief and policy that marriage is between one man and one woman?
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN TONY SNOW: The secretary said what she said and she was showing due deference to the people involved.
Note that Snow didn’t just say that Condi said what she said, and leave it that. Snow went one step further and decided to defend what Condi said. He said that Condi showed “due deference” by treating the gay couple as married. That’s a value judgment that Snow is making. And the values he’s supporting are the values of a gay married couple over the values of homophobe Jerry Falwell and the men at the Concerned Women for America.