Obama: One small step forward after three steps back

Obama has come out in support of the FISA capitualtion, he has come out in support of a state's right to execute child rapists and now this morning I see that he is promising to expand George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Oy-vey.

I understand that this makes for smart politics. Obama is comfortable talking about his faith and evangelicals have been somewhat open to him. John McCain is uncomfortable talking about his faith and the evangelicals don't care for him. So Obama reaches out to poach part of the GOP base and force McCain to mumble uncomfortably about an issue that he doesn't much want to talk about. I get it but I don't have to like it.

This is about principle. I am quite sure that Barack Obama will operate his Office of Faith Based Initiatives in more competent, less ideological, less evangelical-Christian focused manner than George W. Bush. That doesn't change the fact that our government shouldn't be in the business of handing out money to organized religion and giving them leeway on religious discrimination. That is unconstitutional no matter who is in the White House and it's a dangerous line for a supposedly secular government to be crossing. We don't give special treatment to religious groups. If they want Federal funds then they have to abide by Federal law, end of discussion.

This is not a negotiable point, the First Amendment is not up for debate. It's frustrating to watch this triangulation, though it's hardly surprising. Obama has not exactly been a liberal lion since he arrived in the Senate so while his recent panders on the death penalty, warrantless wiretapping and now government funding of faith-based social services have been disappointing they have also been more or less predictable.

On the positive side he has come out clearly against the proposed gay marriage ban in California.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages.

In a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read Sunday at the group's annual Pride Breakfast in San Francisco, the Illinois senator said he supports extending "fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law."

"And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states," Obama wrote.

He doesn't just reject the proposed ban, he does so vigorously. Let's hope he sticks to his gun and becomes an outspoken leader on this issue. That would be a nice change of pace.