Hillary Clinton's Marriage Missive

by Michael Jones · 2010-07-19 15:05:00 UTC
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Judging from the amount of media coverage it's getting, you might expect Chelsea Clinton's upcoming marriage to Marc Mezvinsky to be the biggest wedding this side of Luke & Laura, Di & Charles, Chandler & Monica, or Dennis Kucinich & Elizabeth Kucinich. There's talk of the guest list (Oprah, President Obama, Ted Turner, Barbra Streisand and more), and gossip over whether former President Bill Clinton will be able to walk his daughter down the aisle without shedding a tear.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also couldn't get away from a Today Show appearance this morning without a question about the wedding. And even though Secretary Clinton was there to speak about the very tough geopolitical situation brewing in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it was her comments about marriage that seemed to catch the most attention today.

Asked whether the fact that Chelsea Clinton is Methodist and Marc Mezvinksy is Jewish is a concern, Secretary Clinton said that their relationship was emblematic of those better angels of America's nature.

"It says a lot about this wonderful experiment known as America, where we recognize the right that every single person has to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and over the years so many of the barriers that prevented people from getting married – crossing lines of faith or color or ethnicity – have just disappeared," Secretary Clinton said. "Because what’s important is, are you making a responsible decision? Have you thought it through? Do you understand the consequences? And I think that, in the world that we’re in today, we need more of that.”

Hmm...as much as I like what Secretary Clinton has done for the U.S. State Department vis a vis gay rights, the first part of her quote up there, about barriers preventing people from getting married being torn down, is pretty much a work of fiction. Just take a look at the 45 states (not to mention the federal government), which to this day continue to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to get married.

I definitely don't mean to beat up on the Secretary. Truth be told, Secretary Clinton is probably the best thing the federal government has ever seen when it comes to advancing gay rights. Her leadership at the Department of State has made it one of the most LGBT-friendly offices in the entire U.S. government.

But think of how powerful it would have been if, instead of selling a little bit of fiction on The Today Show, Secretary Clinton said, "You know, watching my daughter marry the man of her dreams makes me realize that government should not be in the business of banning people who love one another from being together."

Now that would have really captured the hope and promise of what this country is all about, and those principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that form the foundation of our existence.

Photo credit: U.S. Department of State

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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