Now that we “know” that Elena Kagan is not gay, the Internet has decided to move forward and embrace Laura Bush for supporting gay marriage and for being pro-choice.
She’s a hero!
Right?
I don’t know. After listening to her on Larry King, I can say I have more respect for her, that she has been able to hold onto these beliefs despite the fact that she is married to the (former) leader of the free world, and has had these conversations with him.
In her book she says she asked then-President George W. Bush to not go after gay marriage as a campaign wedge issue in his 2004 reelection bid. He did anyway, and we paid dearly for that.
As some are asking, “What good is a conviction if you don’t act on it?” Was it right to support her husband, or to support her beliefs? Or, is she just trying to sell more copies of Spoken from the Heart?
Yes, we need all the help we can get. And we need to embrace, not attack our supporters. But do we need to hold them up as icons when their actions are not as, well, valiant, as those who support us, and act on that support, tirelessly, year in and year out?
You decide. Is she to be applauded for being on our side, or impugned for her relative, public silence all these years?