Why politicians generally don't speak in absolutes

Do you remember when Obama said silly things during the 2008 campaign. Things like he was pro gay rights, anti signing statements, and blah blah blah? You can read the full articles here and also here.

To highlight, the first link covers a signing statement the president issued over recent legislation he signed into office. The signing statement, among other things, announced this president would disregard passages of the law he was signing. The second link demonstrates something we've said here at NB all along: the president is perfectly capable of signing an executive order if he so chooses.

What does this mean? That the president forgot how deplorable he found signing statements during the campaign season and that following the law as written by congress sometimes isn't what he wants. Also, it demonstrates the president is ok with flaunting the law or disregarding it as he sees fit, just like past presidents.

What does this mean to you and me on the Gay Rights Front? That the president isn't the fierce advocate, strong supporter, or true ally he said he was. Let's face it, he's a politician and wouldn't help a gay cause out if he didn't have to and could still get reelected. Now, would he be crazy Homophobic like previous presidents? I dunno. After reading the DOMA brief though, I'm not going to pretend that's an impossibility. The only thing we've seen is that the president is ok with saying yes or no or both if that helps him get what he wants. I'll wait to see if he means yes or no, but early results don't do him any favors.