Let's go through Attorney General Rob McKenna's very long explanation, on KUOW's Weekday last Friday, of his position on recognition for gay relationships.

It's going to take a few posts, because it's part of a long discussion. The first part:

Host Steve Scher: Now, what was it, 2004, you made a statement about gay marriage that basically said—I'll paraphrase because I unfortunately don't have it in front of me like I thought I did—that gay marriage destroys the fabric of our country.

Attorney General Rob McKenna: No, I didn't say that, that's a bit more than a paraphrase. I think what you're referring to are my comments on a court case, in which the court struck down our state's defense of marriage act using language so broad that it could be used to justify almost any kind of marriage, including—

Scher: You said polygamy and the like.

McKenna: But I don't think same-sex partnerships, or for that matter if you had same-sex marriage, that that would naturally result in or lead to polygamy, or to other problems of the sort. I was making a point about the legal reasoning of the judge in that case, which was extremely broad and frankly didn't help us draw a line between same-sex marriage on the one hand, and how you could not be required to permit polygamy, for example.

Scher: Well, where are you on same-sex marriage today?

McKenna: I don't support same-sex marriage, but I do support civil rights for same-sex partners or unmarried heterosexual partners. I think that the public clearly supports those kinds of domestic partnership rights, and that's why they approved the referendum upholding our state's recently adopted law.

So.

Rob McKenna: Following the public on matters of gay rights, but not following a majority of Americans in supporting gay marriage. Why? He explains in our next installment...