Was Joe Biden doing his Biden thing and going off message this morning on Good Morning America, or was he signaling that "evolving" Obama policy on gay marriage? Watch for yourself and judge.
To be sure, you could parse the statement however you chose to: At around 5:30 minutes in, Biden says, ""I think the country is evolving, and I think there is an inevitability for a national consensus on gay marriage. That is my view — but this is the President's policy. But it is evolving." Is that national consensus pro-gay marriage? Maybe. According to the LA Times, "A Gallup study showed that while in 1996 only 27% of the population believed gay marriage should be legalized, the figure had jumped to 44% in May of this year."
Earlier this week, President Obama said that he was continuing to reevaluate his support for civil unions but not gay marriage. He was asked by ABC News' Jake Tapper how it was that a gay person can die for his or her country but not get married.
"I struggle with this," Obama replied. "I have friends, I have people who work for me, who are in powerful, strong, long-lasting gay or lesbian unions. And they are extraordinary people, and this is something that means a lot to them and they care deeply about." (Yeah. Just watch their "It Gets Better" video.) The White House even said yesterday that repealing the Defense of Marriage Act is on the administration's agenda.
Biden: Same Sex Marriage Is 'An Inevitability [TPM]
Obama's 'Evolving' Views Stir Gay Marriage Debate [LAT]
Earlier: The Next Gay Rights Battles