Winning GOP Hearts and Minds
Andrew Sullivan compares gay marriage to the U.S. occupation of Iraq
(And yes, he considers that a pro-gay argument)
Plus: It's just SOOOOO hard to be Republican

Oh, those wacky Log Cabin (i.e. gay) Republicans. Despite all the evidence that BUSH HATES THEM, they're still dithering over whether to endorse him (heck, just like any other wealthy white guys, they want their tax cuts--equal rights be damned!). At their Palm Springs convention this past weekend, Andrew Sullivan made his usual charming and brilliant comments. From the LA Times ("Bush Stand on Marriage Riles Gays in GOP"):

The British-born Sullivan — in remarks that were part pep talk and part defense of marriage for gays — acknowledged the difficulties of being gay and Republican in a world where most gays are liberal and most conservatives are heterosexual.

"I know the ridicule that many of you have faced," said Sullivan. "I know the marginalization within the gay world that you experience, and I know the marginalization within the conservative world that hurts and stings and wounds on a daily basis."

Yeah, it's so hard to be a gay person who DOESN'T CARE about poverty and economic inequality, or the lack of easily available affordable health care, or racism*... a person who doesn't want to feel guilty about voting for a bunch of virulent homophobes... a person who just wants to be left in peace to enjoy his tax cuts and egg on the bombing of Iraq. Speaking of which:

Like many Log Cabin members, Sullivan is a fierce defender of Bush's decision to invade Iraq and found parallels between the current state of that conflict and the fight for gay marriage.

"Don't get disheartened by the possibility of backlash," he said. "Backlash is a good sign. You can see it today in Iraq … where the closer progress comes, the forces whose power will be eroded fight back with a ferocity that one never expected. But their ferocity is the ferocity of fear and weakness and beleaguerment, because they know they're losing."

So in this analogy, is Bush a radical cleric urging on Iraqi insurgents (or as Bush would have it "terrorists"?) It boggles the mind. Honestly, I'd rather compare the advance of same-sex marriage to the advance of other forms of rights, freedom and equality, and not to an unpopular and bloody occupation. Just saying.

P.S. In case you think Log Cabin Republicans are just some kind of sick oxymoronic joke irrelevant to the coming election, please keep in mind that exit polls in 2000 showed that 25% of self-identified gay or lesbian people voted for Bush. Bush stole the election by a scant few hundred votes in Florida. There are plenty of gay people in Florida. Do the math.

* Apologies to loyal LGBT Republican readers (yes, I do have some). I know you're not all evil, and this isn't true of all of you. But I really just don't get it.