Quote Of The Day – Hadley Arkes

“In the aftermath of the decision in the Sixth Circuit, some have been inhaling the heady fumes arising from Judge Sutton’s dramatic break, and they seem earnestly to be cultivating the hope that Justice Kennedy might indeed be cajoled and persuaded. But we would waste the gift that Judge Sutton gave us if we diverted ourselves at this moment with that kind of illusion. Justice Kennedy will not be cajoled even by these overdone gestures to placate him. What Judge Sutton has given us is a decision that breaks the momentum of the other side. It conveys, with a jolt, that this issue of marriage and the law has not really been ‘settled.’ Not yet. Judge Sutton, as I say, has bought us time. But time for what? The decision in DeBoer has opened up the possibility for something serious to be done on the political side. This is the moment for Congress to put its hand in, as it did with real effect 18 years ago with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). And as in 1996 we will have again, come January, a Congress containing, in its governing majority, the men and women willing to act on the matter of marriage.” – Self-proclaimed “DOMA architect” Hadley Arkes, writing for the National Review.

RELATED: In the above-linked post, Arkes dismisses Sen. Ted Cruz’ vow to implement a federal constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. According the Arkes, the anti-gay way forward lies in the House bill introduced in January by Rep. Randy Weber, which would limit federal recognition of any same-sex marriage to the state in which it was conducted. As of today, that nearly year-old bill remains mired in committee and only 25% of sitting House Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors. I pointed that out in the comments of Arkes’ post and my response was promptly deleted. Snork!