Quack, quack:

Barack Obama tends to become incoherent when discussing gay rights. During the campaign he said he supported equal rights for gays but also that marriage should be “between a man and a woman”. He opposed both same-sex marriages and a law that bars them, California’s Proposition 8. He favoured repealing both “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, which keeps gays from serving openly in the armed forces, and the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA), which created a federal definition of marriage. As president, however, he has done little. At a White House reception for gays in June, the most notable event was that a mobile phone started quacking. Gays might be excused for thinking their president was doing the same.

...

A moment of clarity came on August 17th. Though the Justice Department continues to defend DOMA in court, it stated that the administration believes the law “is discriminatory, and supports its repeal.” The brief also rejected claims that the government has an interest in preventing gay marriage, writing that children raised by gay couples are as likely to be well adjusted as those raised by heterosexuals.

Advocates reacted cautiously. “It might seem obvious that denying same-sex married couples all the federal protections that other married couples get is discrimination,” said Matt Coles of the American Civil Liberties Union. “But having the federal government finally admit it is a promising sign.” Mr Obama may proceed in small steps. After the uproar over June’s [DOMA] brief he extended some benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers. Meanwhile, states are being bolder—Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire have each authorised gay marriages within the past five months. Those hoping for action in Washington may have to wait until the White House quacker is a lame duck in 2013.