Thank Heaven Bush Didn't Say It

Andrew Sullivan points out Howard Dean's problem with Russian history. In a very tepid defense of Mr. Dean, we note that much earlier in the interview, he mentioned the "former Soviet Union", although no one is pretending that Mr. Dean is unaware of Russia. [More from Andrew S.]

However, the Hardball appearance also brought forth Howard Dean, Federalist, on the subject of gay marriage:

DEAN: As president, no. As president-first of all, marriage none of the federal government’s business. Marriage is a state issue. We chose not to do gay marriage in our state. California chose to do domestic partnerships. As president of the United States, if a state chooses to do gay marriage, that is their business. That is not the federal government’s business. Equality under the law is what’s important. How states get to that is their business, not the federal government’s business. What I have said...

Chris Matthews was skeptical:

MATTHEWS: Are you confident of that? Scalia-the Rehnquist-Scalia court went into the Lawrence case in Texas and said that the federal government had an interest in whether you can have what was called sodomy or not, legalized. And so obviously the federal government, through its courts, can interpose its judgment as to what are civil liberties are. How are you so confident that the federal government will not say what goes for Vermont, goes for the rest of the country?

You have to accept the Vermont or Massachusetts license out in the rest of the country?

Comments

[John Thacker]

Isn't Chris Matthews being quite misleading by calling the Lawrence decision one of "Scalia-the Rehnquist-Scalia court," when Scalia and Rehnquist were on the losing side in the case? Scalia and Rehnquist said that the federal government did not have an interest in deciding that law.