NH Provides Opportunity to Ask Probing Questions in Tonight's Dem Debate

NH's passing of civil union rights for same sex couples provides an opportunity for Democrat presidential hopefuls to answer the question posed by Evan Wolfson, executive director of the same-sex marriage advocacy group Freedom to Marry, in the WashBlade:

With the 2008 presidential election already drawing widespread publicity, Wolfson said gay advocacy groups and their allies should be asking the candidates to spell out what they mean when they express support for equal rights and benefits for same-sex couples through civil unions.

“When they try to do that, they will realize that there is only one system for doing it and that is marriage,” he said.

With various states now allowing gays to enter into Civil Unions, the federal government acts as a barrier to other states recognizing those unions and offering the same 1,200 federal benefits that are provided to straight marriages. To fix that, a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act has to be repealed. The Dem candidates should be asked, if you stand for equality for gay people, where do you stand on that specific issue? And if they don't want to repeal DOMA...then how can they say they are for "equality?"

And...why doesn't the gay press ask this? In the WashBlade article linked to above, there is no indication that reporter Lou Chibbaro asked the question of the candidates posed by Wolfson. Why not? The MSM is unlikely to ask it. Chibbaro is a reporter -- and a good one. Why not take the question directly to the candidates instead of merely reporting on what others are saying about the candidates?