More details emerged today about the contract that House Republicans awarded to a private law firm to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The gist of the contract is that the law firm will be paid a 'blended rate' of $520/hour with a cap of $500,000.

Last week, President Obama stood on principle. At an Iftar dinner at the White House celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the President announced of his belief in the right to build a mosque in Lower Manhattan because of the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Politico

Robert Gibbs railed at the 'professional left' in an interview published yesterday. We're all familiar with it by now and the reaction from the left has been swift and unforgiving. One of my favorites was from Glenn Greenwald.

At first look, Robert was frustrated that the...

Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has made it clear that he has no pride in D.C.'s LGBT community. When he was elected, many believed that he was the breath of fresh air that our city needed. What began with great hope has turned to disappointment and frustration.

Most recently, the...

It's frustrating, Mr. President. You have told us repeatedly to be impatient, to hold you accountable, to pressure you, and to not wait for our rights. Yet, when you were pressured last night to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, you played dumb.

You responded to the shout from...

Sometimes our daily lives make it difficult to know when you are in the midst of history being made. Make no mistake about it, though. Right now, we are on the precipice of major history. You can be a part of it. You can help make history.

This past weekend was historic. An unprecedented amount of media attention was given to the lack of civil equality for LGBT people because of the President's speech at the HRC National Dinner and because of the National Equality March.

The big question following the...

In the ever evolving culture war waged by the likes of Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, The Mormon Church, and countless other right wing organizations, this year's ballot measures may be the first...

Tonight, President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress, whose members are freshly returned from August recess. What the President will say and how it will affect the national discussion on health care reform remains to be seen. What is absolutely certain is that the discussion over the past month...

Mr. President:

Please accept my apology for interrupting your speech at Netroots Nation. I was raised in the South, as you were, and my mother taught me better. But once in a while, the circumstances of history throw manners out the window.

I know you weren't able to hear my...

I love Bill Clinton, but we all make mistakes. Sometimes we even are forced to do things we don't want to. That's why I was prepared to ask Bill Clinton a tough question last night as he delivered the opening keynote address at Netroots Nation 2009.

But it became clear...

It's important to learn lessons from the things we do so that we can do better the next time around. There are many lessons the White House can take away from last Wednesday's announcement about benefits to gay Federal employees. Monday morning quarterbacking is far easier than governing, so this...

Late yesterday, in the White House's daily guidance email to the press corps, one of the items caught people off guard:

In the evening, the President will deliver brief remarks and sign a Presidential Memorandum regarding federal benefits and non-discrimination in the Oval Office. This event is pooled press.

The...

As anyone who has been following my blogging here will know, I've been pushing very hard to hold folks accountable for a stunningly absent effort to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in our code of laws. It's become even more important to me as we elected...

Yes, it does apparently seem in line with Sarah Palin and Carrie Prejean. Or at least Governor Palin says so. But that's not exactly what I had in mind.

Here's an exchange on Tuesday between ABC News' Jake Tapper and Robert Gibbs, the White House Press...

When the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny the freedom to marry based on sexual orientation, the White House issued the following statement:

The President respects the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their...

Today, DC Council is expected to give final reading and pass legislation containing a provision that will allow the District to recognize valid marriages from other jurisdictions between couples of the same gender. Given the unique relationship between DC and Congress, I thought it would be helpful to share some...

Mark Penn has commentary up at the Wall Street Journal. Good heavens. For 1250 words, it sure is an intellectually lazy piece of crap.

Penn attempts to assert this:

In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there...

Yesterday, there was inaccurate reporting on Congressional review of laws passed by the DC Council. (Even Ezra Klein got it wrong, which is rare!) It's an easily misunderstood process and very few people have a full understanding of it. I've attempted to simplify the process and apply it to the...

Dear Bill (the real villain):

Hillary Clinton, former O'Reilly Factor producer Andrea Mackris, rape and murder victim Jennifer Moore, and now blogger Amanda Terkel.

You seem to think women are expendable, or at least not worth valuing as equal. About a year and a half ago, you took a break...