Strange Bedfellows in the Gay Marriage Debate

Ted Olson, formerly solicitor general in the Bush Administration and conservative icon, is leading the legal challenge to California's ban on gay marriage. His position has both liberals and conservatives confused:

“For conservatives who don’t like what I’m doing, it’s, ‘If he just had someone in his family we’d forgive him,’ ” Mr. Olson said. “For liberals it’s such a freakish thing that it’s, ‘He must have someone in his family, otherwise a conservative couldn’t possibly have these views.’ It’s frustrating that people won’t take it on face value.”

To libertarians, Mr. Olson's position on gay marriage just tells us that he is really a libertarian, not a conservative. Libertarians oppose government intrusions and restrictions in all aspects of life, both social and econonic. Conservatives claim to oppose big government, but they are hopelessly inconsistent in their application of this position.