There's another article on the Van Capelle Memo. This is an AP story entitled: Gay rights leader slams Clinton days before Charlotte fundraiser. ESPA's Joe Taver states:

"We are being overwhelmed by positive e-mails and phone calls around the country about Alan's views on this. We think we've touched a nerve on something."

So is Marriage Equality the new benchmark for support of the GLBT Community? If so, then Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee have some catching up to do. The debate about Marriage Equality has changed dramatically since the Vermont Civil Union law was signed April 25th, 2000, but Howard Dean's talking points haven't changed accordingly. One could argue that the DNC's current position on Marriage Equality does not even rise to the level of the DNC 2004 Platform:

"We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these families. In our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200 years, and we believe it should continue to be definied there. We repudiate Bush's divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a 'Federal Marriage Amendment.' Our goal is to bring Americans together, not drive them apart."

When Democrats choose someone like Tim Kaine to be the spokesman of their party, it's an insult to everyone who believes in the full inclusion of which the platform speaks.