The Conscience Of A Conservative

Republican legal icon Ted Olson joins the federal suit to overturn Prop 8:

"It is our position in this case that Proposition 8, as upheld by the California Supreme Court, denies federal constitutional rights under the equal protection and due process clauses of the constitution," Olson said. "The constitution protects individuals' basic rights that cannot be taken away by a vote.  If the people of California had voted to ban interracial marriage, it would have been the responsibility of the courts to say that they cannot do that under the constitution.  We believe that denying individuals in this category the right to lasting, loving relationships through marriage is a denial to them, on an impermissible basis, of the rights that the rest of us enjoy…I also personally believe that it is wrong for us to continue to deny rights to individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation."

I've long believed that this issue can and does transcend partisan boundaries, as all civil rights matters do. But I'm a little discombobulated by finding myself now to the right of Olson on marriage equality. As the world turns ...