Priya, you are correct in that McCain is less favorable on ALL gay issues.

However, Eddie you are just wrong when you said that McCain would push “for a Federal Marriage Amendment after marriage equality was achieved in Iowa, Maine and Vermont.”

I’m not defending McCain’s position on gay issues. But to claim that he would do something other than what he clearly stated on many occasions is not something that is logical or acceptable.

And it is not logical to assume that McCain would suddenly become an anti-gay activist when his decades long history suggests that he has little interest in inacting anti-gay legislation or policy. If asked (in a way he can’t avoid), McCain will often voice support for the anti-gay position. But he shows little interest in taking any leadership on gay issues that isn’t favorable (think back to the campaign – McCain tried his hardest to avoid discussing gay issues). In other words, he may vote anti-gay sometimes – and even ran an anti-marriage ad in AZ – but on those areas in which he is supportive, he’ll often take the lead.

There is no question that Obama was the more pro-gay candidate. Obama had sharply stronger positions on gay issues – he expressed support for pretty much ALL gay issues other than marriage.

Unfortunately, the difference in the positions of McCain and Obama don’t seem to be resulting in differences in administration. Or, at least, not yet.

Obama still has time to become an advocate for equality. But to date, I can’t point at much that he’s actually done (and little that he’s said) on gay issues that is materially different from what McCain would have done.

From McCain we would have expected little to nothing. Ironically, that is also what we have received from Obama.

I believe Mccain also said he’d support a Federal Marriage Amendment if the “Defense” of Marriage Act was overturned. Mccain was decidedly worse on this issue than Obama.

I am of the opinion that he would have buckled under the pressure from the religious conservatives to back such a measure.

Some examples:

John McCain on Civil Rights:

Supports CA Prop. 8: one-man-one-woman marriage [He also supported Prop. 102 in Arizona]

Don’t ask, don’t tell is working; don’t tamper with it

Gay Marriage – Believes it’s an issue best left up to the states. While in the Senate McCain voted “No” on a constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. [OK, so leave it up to the states, but what about the 1,138 FEDERAL rights, benefits and legal protections that the FEDERAL government extends to married heterosexual couples?]

Hate Crimes – While in the Senate, McCain voted no on extending the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation.

Job Protection – Voted no on prohibiting job discrimination based upon sexual orientation.

Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. [AKA DOMA]

Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation.

Rated 0% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record.

Sorry, but my own research has further solidified my opinion that things would be worse for the LGBT community under a McCain administration.

We could have had President McCain throwing gays under the bus by pushing for a Federal Marriage Amendment after marriage equality was achieved in Iowa, Maine and Vermont.

McCain spoke eloquently against a Federal Marriage Amendment. And that was after Massachusetts. He particularly would favor the rights of Maine and Vermont to legislatively enact marriage definitions as they see fit.

Interestingly, McCain might have favored an FMA had the CA Supreme Court overturned Prop 8, but otherwise there is no reason to accuse McCain of wishing to champion a position that he is on record as opposing.

Am I willing to give him time? Yes, he’s just barely 6% into his term. That’s the first 30-minutes of a normal person’s workday. Do you get most or all of your important work done in the first 30-minutes of your day?

But if I still hear feet dragging come Nov 2010…well, then I’ll have to give up on him.

We could have had President McCain throwing gays under the bus by pushing for a Federal Marriage Amendment after marriage equality was achieved in Iowa, Maine and Vermont.

Yes, things could be and should be better. But, again, things could have turned out much, much worse.

Not even mention what happened? He sure as hell is running away from us as fast as he can, or should it be described as a side-ways shuffle?