Obama Busted Red Handed

This is one of the things you gotta love about the internet. I first saw this on ProPublica, a site that is amazing in its coverage. Last week President Obama's whitehouse.gov site was caught in what appears to be making drastic changes to language on some important issues. Most importantly were Iraq and gay/lesbian support.

The change that is getting the most attention is Obama's earlier pledge to support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Throughout his run for the presidency Obama routinely made mention of his support for equal rights and led many to believe the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy would be one of his first repealed decisions. After 100 days in office there has been no repeal of the policy and now revelation of his support for DOMA has been cleared from the site.

Originally the whitehouse.gov site read:

• Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Today it reads:

• He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

No mention whatsoever about repealing DOMA. Busted! ProPublica's tracking software is an excellent way to hold politicians accountable for their pledges. And it's already proven effective. After complaints were made about the Obama administration deleting support for 'dont' ask, don't tell' the White House quickly added the language back to their site. So far the same has not been done for DOMA. Realizing these people work for us makes a big difference.