The inimitable Jamie Kirchick writes:
The near-unanimous support for this amendment brings to mind the unanimous support for the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act. That act stated that "It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime." Whatever one thinks about the wisdom of the Iraq war, keep in mind that regime change in Iraq was the official, bipartisan policy of the United States government years before it became fashionable for journalists to write tiresome, 5,000-word articles linking Ahmed Chalabi, PNAC and Paul Wolfowitz.
And so was the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Does Jamie Kirchick think that was wise policy? Does he think the fact that so many otherwise reasonable men and women felt compelled to support it because they feared the opprobrium of bigots and demagogues was a good thing? Does he see the relevance of this comparison?
Inquiring minds want to know.
