President Obama’s politics of expediency — his penchant for obfuscation and trying to be on both sides of controversial issues, finally caught up with him. Catching heat from all parts of the political spectrum because of his  because of his bodacious gay marriage straddle, Obama finally man-upped and admitted in an ABC News interview that he supports gay marriage:

“I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Many are reporting that this is the first time Obama has admitted his support for gay marriage. That is incorrect. During his 1996 run for Illinois state Senate, Obama admitted his support for gay marriage in a written response to a questionnaire from Chicago’s gay newspaper Outlines:

“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”

Since then, and until today’s admission Obama has been, well, nuanced. In true John Kerry fashion:

• President Obama was for gay marriage [1996].
• Before he was undecided [1998].
• Before he was “not a supporter of gay marriage” [2004].
• Before he was reminded to “remain” open to the possibility that his “unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided” [2006].
• Before he decided that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman [April 2008].
• Before he was not in favor of gay marriage [November 2008].
• Before he was for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act [2009].
• Before he admitted to an evolving attitude toward same-sex marriage [2010].
• Before, at least for now, he was again for it.

How can Obama expect to be taken seriously on any issue when you cannot count on anything he says? When Obama states his position, you can only count on the fact that his position will change, or evolve, depending upon the audience and/or the political expedience of the moment.

Thanks to Politico for tracking down Obama’s statements.

Cross-posted from Right Side Politics.