Friday, December 15, 2006

Don't let NeoCons have it both ways


Conservatives' split between their private judgements and public policies isn't compassionate, it is merely hypocritical. I am glad that our Vice President loves his daughter. I am glad that President Bush believes, "I think Mary is going to be a loving soul to her child. And I'm happy for her." But how can these leaders reconcile those warm familial feelings with their policies that deny same-sex couples the right to form legal families?

We've heard line of reasoning before from the GHW Bush administration. Remember when Dan Quayle said during the 1992 election season that if his own daughter needed an abortion, he'd support her decision. He later made it clear that while we would support his daughter's choice, Quayle still remained politicially opposed to abortion rights.

That's the public policy we get: Conservatives live with the privilege to extend exceptions to their family members when needed, but the rest of us are stuck with their restrictive interference in our lives. Since when did nepotism become a prerequisite for liberty?

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