] New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Wednesday
] the state's laws do not permit gay marriage, dealing a
] harsh blow to the growing nationwide battle for same-sex
] weddings.

[ Look for liberals nationwide to bash Eliot Spitzer without paying attention to the actual story... even the Reuters headline here is a little bit sensational.

Spitzer is doing his job by interpreting the language of state laws on the matter and not ignoring them out of political or personal views, which are decidedly pro-same-sex-union :

] "What motivates gays and lesbians is the same thing that
] motivates heterosexuals, and that is the desire to live
] as true partners with the protection of the law and full
] recognition of society," Spitzer told a news conference.
]
] "I know gays and lesbians want marriage and I respect
] their commitment to each other and I personally support
] their desire," he said. Still, he had to put the law,
] "ahead of my personal views or political considerations."

I guess i'm just pre-emptively getting pissed at a media that's likely to spin this as much as possible to gain controversy... the LA Times story headline is "NY Attorney General: No Gay Marriages". Irresponsible if you ask me.

Incidentally, I grew up about 15 miles from New Paltz, NY... if i were gonna try to compare it to anyplace local, I'd say it's a lot like Decatur, for what it's worth. I'm not surprised at all to see it become an early battleground for this issue in NY State. -k]