Campaign politics have always been about evading difficult questions and buying time. But President Obama’s refusal to take a firm position on gay marriage is particularly troublesome to many.

Obama may clarify his views during a conversation on same-sex marriage with ABC News on Wednesday afternoon. –ARK

Update: Obama did indeed clarify his position, saying: “At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Mark Mardell at BBC:

There’s an old piece of advice that it is better to take the wrong decision than to do nothing.

US President Barack Obama might heed that. His contention that his position on gay marriage is evolving looks at best lame and at worst dishonest — as though he is a mere spectator neutrally watching his own position develop of its own accord.

Evolution takes aeons, but the president hasn’t even got weeks. His spokesman has just said that he has an “unparalleled” record on gay rights and he rather awkwardly suggests that the president will, some day soon, make his position clearer.

… A firm decision probably means offending someone and losing some votes. This evolution is about survival of the fittest — which policy mutation allows the most votes to survive.

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