Bill Clinton Praises The Demise Of DOMA, Without Mentioning That He Signed It Into Law

[Ms. Toad]

118. We'll have to disagree.

I was addressing what I was picking up from how he talked about people he knew or encountered who were gay - and, frankly, the comment you quoted is a perfect example. Intellectualizing, emotionally distancing, and mouthing the right words. The position is political - the way he talks about it, the tone, the word choices, the affect all of those things signal what is going on at a gut level.

Contrast that statement with the much warmer, more personal statement of support, "Obama said his daughters, Malia and Sasha, have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. "It wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

That doesn't mean the change (or that his earlier position) wasn't also political.