humor, sort of

From today's New York Times:

On Friday, as the Senate began debating the amendment on same-sex marriage, the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group, placed an advertisement in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call listing Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Pataki, Senator McCain and Mr. Giuliani. "Want to get a prime time spot at the Republican National Convention?" the advertisement asked. "Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment."

Hoping to turn the same advertisement into a message to the convention planners, Tony Perkins, president of the Christian conservative Family Research Council, sent flowers to Cheryl Jacques, the executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, with a note that said, "Dear Cheryl, per your ad in Roll Call - thank you."

Reading the article I got the sense that sure, the Republicans are socially conservative, but they don't want to rub people's noses in it. Right now everyone can identify with them, and if they were to come out as anti-abortion and anti-gay and anti-sex, well, that might confuse things. It's so much safer to talk about national security and tax cuts and save the social agenda for "family".