Wow. Awesome commentary.

I agree with your vision of our future, all the advances, the inevitable change that will and must come, and even the fact that Obama may regret not fully expressing his true feelings of support for our equality.

But when equality comes as we all know it will, I doubt President Obama will fare too badly in the grand scheme of things. And we have yet to see his actual part in the completed process, so its impossible to know for sure. But I'd gamble that history will be quite kind.

One more thing ...

can we really buy real estate in Havana?!

I am still convinced that in his heart President Obama is entirely pro gay rights

The recent evidence suggests otherwise, doesn't it?

Seriously, what is the big stumbling-block, the massive opposition, that makes trillions of dollars of radical economic restructuring easy, and supporting a single one of the many pro-Gay issues so hard? It's not as if there's an election in a few months.

Obama's pro-gay when it's useful, and anti-gay when it's useful, and most of the time he doesn't want the issue raised in case it damages his position. Like the DNC in general.

"Fat eating enzymes?" Will those be directly connected to the recycled waste water? :)

I wouldn't recommend land purchases in Cuba as that could quickly disappear through "eminent domain" a new constitution or anything else they dream up (ala Mexico).

God grant me patience, (stamping his foot)

and I want it RIGHT NOW!

Much as the German side of me would like to have sixteen years of work done in seventy days the prez just touched down at Andrews, there are priorities like troop draw downs, health care, and a sick economy to eat up a bit of his time.

And yes, he can effect our rights in a positive manner, but what we want will still take a combination of the courts and 535 "stray cats," with no attention span, in Congress.

"For the greater good" how much distraction (media, Congress, Ignorant Christian hate groups) from those things that he would like to do can be borne in light of all the things he must do? I think it is time to ask ourselves if we personally have ever done anything as hard to do as what Obama is attempting before we denounce him as not being "a friend."

We don't need friends, we need good working partners. That also means we do stuff for them too. So, get your stuff done, and cut out the donuts! :)

Hey, guys, be careful if you do land speculating in Cuba --- it is a low-laying island, and Greenland and Antarctica are melting faster every time scientists try to measure the rate.

And by the way, Robert, how much of Thailand disappears if the ocean rises three feet? I hope Buddha Hill doesn't become the new refugee camp.

@BrianZ: Politicians are the archetypal hustlers; forever kissing babies, on the make and ready to make a deal. Obama fits that description and like most of his tribe, with the possible exception of Sanders of Vermont, is 'connected' to parties which are in turn 'connected' to corrupt business interests.

In "The Grandfather” sense of connected.

They’ve been looting the economy like pigs in a candy shop. Just how corrupt the looting class, and the Democrats and Republican who toil for them in the halls of Congress are can be easily summed up in just three sentences.

Five million working people have been fired in the last few months.

Bush and Obama have championed the giveaway of trillions to cover the losses of the looting class.

The world economy is in stop mode.

During the election Obamaites were in a frenzy of wanton, clueless adoration. True believer style, they sang his praises as if he were one of the minor gods. And they warned over and over that that McCain was Fascism Incarnate. Now that the confetti’s been swept up the sobering truth is there for all but the deliberately blind to see.

With the bleak reality of even more war, an economy that's on the edge of depression and non stop bigotry Democrats are hoping they haven’t bet the bank on a not particularly lesser evil. Some claim to be able to predict his actions and make up scenarios to rescue hope or make claims that he'll do or think this or that.

Hogwash. Baloney. Bullpucky. There is no credible way anyone can have a clue about Obama's likes, dislikes or motives except with reference to his actions.

His actions, as opposed to his hustles, are vigorously anti-GLBT, pro-war and when he speaks to the looter class, the uberrich and business managers you can see his tail wagging a mile away. They financed him early on and it paid off big time. He's been handing them a trillion or so every few weeks to cover their losses.

You can bet he'll get as much for his 'service' as Clinton, who was also idolized until the reality of DOMA and DADT set in. Clinton too was a hustler too by the miracle of modern corporate accounting is now a gazillionaire. Being Jefe of the biggest banana republic of them all can be very profitable.

We Forget What It Was Really Like Under the Clintons by David Morris, AlterNet. January 7, 2008.

NAFTA failures; deregulation of banking and ENRON's rise; "Welfare Reform" that led to more poor people. This and more is what the Clintons gave us.”

In matters of love it’s an awful thing to want someone who doesn’t share your feelings, but in politics it just plain dangerous.

Fr Tony;
I am not entirely convinced that Obama earnestly supports Gay rights.

The reason?
His rationale for preferring Civil Unions over Marriage; "God is in the mix"

Underlying that is the implication that we are morally unworthy of marriage, that there is at least a wee bit of thruth to the scathing references to LGBT's found in the Bible.

If "God is in the mix" and we cannot marry due to that, then perforce abomination is in OUR mix.

I don't like to consider myself an abomination first thing in the morning when I get up.

Apparently, however, at least at some level, the President DOES consider us such. Further, he tolerates homophobia around him in some of his advisors and considers it an acceptable prejudice since it is based upon religion.

That sort of tolernace of religiously based fear and loathing has not worked out any better for the LGBT community than it did for the women of Salem Village in the colonial era.