Whose angst, Obama?

Quoth President Obama at the Stonewall commemoration event today (via): "Someday, I'm confident, we'll look back at this transition and ask why it generated such angst..."

And I agree. Only I don't think he meant it the same way I do.

Because yes, President Obama, someday we'll look back at this time from a perspective where equality is the law EVERYWHERE in this nation. And yes, we will be asking why there was such angst over it. But not because we'll be looking back at our younger selves and shaking our heads, saying "Why were we gays so angsty over all of it? Silly us, to be so upset over it all!" We'll be asking, "Why was there such angst in the Obama Administration over such simple steps they could have taken? Why was there no administrative halt to the dismissals of LGBT servicemembers under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and a complete lack of leadership or pressure to get a legislative repeal passed through Congress? Why did the Obama Administration file that hateful DOMA brief that compared gay marriages to incest and pedophilia? Why did the candidate of Hope! and Change! promise to be a "fierce advocate" for the LGBT community, then leave us twisting in the wind as soon as he was in office?"

States are legalizing gay marriage right and left. More than two-thirds of Americans support a repeal of DADT. The Obama Administration swept into office alongside a near-supermajority of Democrats in Congress. LGBT equality is referred to as the civil rights issue of our time. The homomentum is building and the Administration is perfectly poised to take advantage of its mandate from the people...and yet, still, the Obama Administration sits with its thumb up its ass, makes weak excuses about being required to defend DOMA (it's not; Dubya, Clinton, Bush Sr. and Reagan all declined to defend in court federal laws with which they disagreed), and punts DADT questions with "It's up to Congress!" while not even endorsing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act that would legislatively repeat DADT.

So yes, President Obama, someday we'll look back on this and ask "why the angst?" But it's not our angst we'll be wondering about. It's yours.