Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I continue to *heart* Laura Bush

Last night on Larry King, former First Lady Laura Bush appeared to support both same-sex marriage and reproductive rights:



It's cool that Bush would frankly speak about views that are contrary to her husband's, as well as many of his supporters. If nothing else, it's proof that these issues aren't black and white - which means that there's room for common ground. I also hope that my conservative friends take Bush's point that either position is totally compatible with a conservative philosophy.

Should Bush have been more vocal during her husband's presidency? On one hand, we didn't elect her. And I completely understand her not wanting to publicly contradict the administration's policies. But, on the other hand, isn't there an obligation to speak out on behalf of the powerless when, say, your husband's top adviser is cynically urging states to draft same-sex and abortion-related ballot initiatives in order to help him get re-elected?

A more random question - why are things like same-sex marriage and reproductive rights referred to as "social issues," separate from apparently hard concerns like fiscal policy or foreign policy? Food for thought...

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